Roommates
by hope-is-4ever
Summary: Set after the anime. What happens when Meryl and Knives have to live alone with only each other as company? Will they survive each other? KxM
1. Explanation

A/N: My first fanfic. Have pity on a pathetic authoress such as myself. Read and/or review if you want.

Disclaimer: I own Trigun and have Knives locked up in my basement. Right...

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ROOMMATES

Chapter 1: Explanation

'_How did I get myself talked into this?'_ Meryl Stryfe thought in despair. Her attention was directed at the scenery speeding by her window. The bus Meryl currently found herself sitting in was headed for the city of December. Once there she would again be taking up her old desk job at the Bernardelli head office.

Trying to look as casual as possible, she snuck a quick look to her left. Sitting across from her was another passenger on the bus. His short white-blonde hairs were spiked and his blue eyes, with their usual glare, were directed on the scenery just as hers had been.

'_Yes' _Meryl thought dryly, turning her attention back to the view outside, _'this is not one of my better decisions'_. Here she was, sitting across from humanity's greatest enemy, a person who had attempted to wipe out the entire human race on more than one occasion. But that wasn't the worst part, no, the worst of it was that Meryl was taking him home with her! Yes, Knives Millions, the freeborn plant and murderer of millions, was coming to live with her in her small house.

She'd lived in the house before getting the job to track down the Humanoid Typhoon. When Vash had disappeared for two years after the Augusta incident Meryl had also lived there again. At this thought she again turned her attention back to her soon-to-be roommate.

At the moment you wouldn't think him capable of all the atrocities he'd committed. He looked just like a normal person. Knives was dressed in a blue trench coat similar to Vash's, with a white button-up shirt and faded blue jeans underneath. Completing the ensemble were a pair of high black boots.

Next to him on the seat was a bag that resembled the one Vash always carried around. Of course, the only reason he looked so normal was the fact that Vash had forced him to stop wearing the jumpsuit he'd originally had on when Vash had brought him back after their battle.

Thinking about that reminded Meryl of that fateful day when Vash had come back with the body of his brother slung over one shoulder.

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Apprehensive hadn't even come close to describing Meryl's feelings that day when she'd seen whom it was Vash had been carrying on his back. Millie, on the other hand, had shown no fear at all. She'd just walked up to Vash and kindly offered to help him with his brother.

Meryl couldn't help but marvel at her co-worker. With Vash's permission, Meryl had told Millie all about him and Knives while he'd been gone. Yet, she still showed no signs of fear or anger toward the one who had hurt and killed so many. He'd also been responsible for Wolfwood's death, even if indirectly. That girl, with a heart of gold, would always offer help to those who needed it.

So, being Millie, she'd gently taken Vash's brother off of his back and calmly carried him the rest of the way to the small house that they had been living in for the past month or so. The girls had first lived in it with the injured Vash and then they had stayed there while waiting for his return. Vash followed behind Millie with Meryl trailing behind him, a nervous fear written on her face.

Millie had then taken him upstairs to one of the extra bedrooms and gently laid him down. The other bed in the room would belong to Vash, who would watch over his brother. After that the three of them gathered in the kitchen downstairs and sat down at the table. That's when Meryl decided to voice her thoughts. After all, how could she not say something? The genocidal maniac Knives Millions was currently sleeping in one of their spare bedrooms!

"Vash I hope that you're going to explain why your brother is currently upstairs in an unconscious state with bullet holes riddled throughout his entire body," she said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her anger in check.

Vash had laughed weakly under her glare and hunched in his chair. Then he'd gone into the whole story of what had happened between the two out in the desert.

When he had finished his story he added softly, "I hope you both understand that I'm going to try and turn him around. You know, try to make him see that humans aren't as bad as he thinks. That's why I brought him here, if anyone can show him that humans aren't all that bad it's you two." With that said he looked at them both with hope in his eyes, hope that maybe they would understand and help him.

Millie had her usual smile on her face as she answered him in a cheerful voice, "Of course we'll help Mr. Vash. Right, Meryl?" She turned to Meryl expectantly. Meryl with a sigh responded with a small smile and a nod of agreement.

After that everyone focused on helping Knives to recover. Being a plant, it hadn't taken him more than a few days to regain consciousness. Once awake though, the anti-human man had immediately begun to dish out rude comments to the girls. Even Vash hadn't escaped his poisonous tongue.

"You disgusting human, what do you think you're doing!" Had been the first charming words to come out of his mouth when he'd found Meryl doing his bandages. After that he had reverted to calling them names, like spider or parasite, every time they were in the room.

The months went by with Knives under the constant and tender care of the girls. Both Meryl and Millie would cook him his food, make sure he had clean bandages (Vash was the only one Knives allowed to put them on), and even attempted to engage in polite conversation with him.

Of course, they always gave up the conversations when all he gave them were death glares or threats issuing from his mouth in a constant stream. To Meryl it seemed like nothing they tried helped to curb his hatred toward humanity.

While the girls were trying their best to show Knives the goodness in humans, Vash was also making an effort to bring him around. Every night, after Meryl and Millie had gone to bed, he would stay up and talk with his brother. He told him about how most of humanity wasn't like Steve, the man who had beaten them as children. Most of them, he argued, were good people who only wanted to make a living out of this dry, dust-ball of a planet.

Knives, for his part, stubbornly ignored Vash most of the time. Only interrupting him every now and then to point out the faults that he saw in humans.

On one certain night, about four months after Vash's return, the brothers were having their worst argument to date.

"Knives!" Vash shouted, finally losing all his patience with his stubborn sibling. "There is no way that the entire human race can be shown in a single person. There are many different types of people out there, if only you'd open your eyes and see!"

"I see perfectly Vash!" Knives shouted in return. "I see the atrocities that are being inflicted on the plants by the humans you love so much! You're the one who's gone blind! You don't see their blatant disregard for each other and the world around them. They deserve to be wiped out before their infestation spreads any further!"

Vash took a long look at his upset twin. He could practically see the hate for humanity bleeding off his body in waves. Apparently nothing he'd said thus far had had any impact on Knives whatsoever. At this point he had only one tactic left, and if it didn't work . . .

"How about a little proposition, brother?" he asked in a deceptively quiet tone.

Knives narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He knew Vash was up to something. Over the past month or so his brother had been trying to get him to see the goodness in humanity he said existed, but Knives had resisted his efforts with ease. But now what was Vash planning?

"What kind of proposition did you have in mind, little brother?" He answered in the same calm manner Vash had taken.

"The deal I'd like to propose is that you find me proof." Vash said, keeping his face impassive.

"Proof?" The older twin asked almost hesitantly, not liking Vash's new demeanor.

"Yes. I want you to show me irrevocable proof that what you say is true, that all of humanity deserves the fate you have planned for it." Vash said, still using the same tone.

"And how, pray tell, do you expect me to find this proof?" Knives' voice almost came out in a growl. He really wasn't liking where this conversation was headed.

At this Vash's face broke out in his usual goofy grin. "Why, by observing humans up close and personal, brother."

Knives openly gaped at his annoying sibling, his features showing the shock and horror he felt at what Vash had suggested. He actually expected him to willingly spend time around those inferior creatures!

"Have you lost what little sense you had Vash!?" Knives yelled, losing control of his composure. "Why would I need to find this proof when I already know it exists!?" His face was back into its usual scowl.

"Because if you do" Vash argued, "I'll no longer try and stop you from eliminating the people on this planet."

Knives' eyebrows rose straight to his hairline in surprise. Was his pacifistic, and human loving brother, actually saying he would sit by and watch him destroy the human garbage? It sounded too good to be true. All he had to do was find evidence that the filth needed to be exterminated and he would be able to fulfill his plans? Knives didn't believe that the proof would be hard to come by, he only needed to make sure Vash's remarks were not in jest.

"How will you guarantee to me that you will not interfere if I find this truth about humanity?" Knives inquired of his brother, eyeing him suspiciously.

Vash thought this over for a moment before standing up and quietly slipping out of the room. Knives waited, his curiosity aroused by Vash's abrupt exit of the room. He didn't have long to wait. Not more than a minute later Vash reentered the room caring something wrapped in cloth. As he sat down Knives took a good look at the package, trying to figure out its contents.

"Now, before I give you this," Vash whispered, apparently afraid someone would hear him. "I want you to promise me something." Never taking his eyes off the package, Knives nodded slowly. "As you observe humans, you are under no circumstances to kill any one of them."

Knives' head shot up at Vash's last statement. "If you expect _me_ to become a living target for those parasites . . . " He trailed off when his brother lifted a hand to silence him.

"I never counted on you doing any such thing, Knives. As a matter of fact, I'd prefer it if you stayed out of trouble, but seeing as how you and guns have never gotten along..." Vash smiled as his brother growled at him. "I'll give you this to protect yourself." With that said Vash took the cloth off the object, revealing a black gun Knives recognized as his own.

As Knives reached out for it, Vash drew it away. "What's the matter, brother, still don't trust me with a weapon?" He mocked him.

"Just wanted to remind you that you are _not _to shoot humans. You can defend yourself if necessary by injuring them, but no fatal shots. Understand?" Vash looked at the other Plant expectantly.

With a small snort and a nod of his head, Knives gave his acknowledgment. Vash handed him his gun and continued. "Also, no using any mind tricks."

The white-blonde haired man took a long look at him before speaking. "Unlike you brother, I choose to accept what I am. I won't pretend to be something I'm not."

Vash gave his brother a sad look, something that was out of place on his usually happy face. "I know that we're different, not human. I've accepted that fact. But that doesn't make us superior, just different."

Knives gritted his teeth in response. Sometimes his brother was a complete idiot.

"Look Knives, I'm tired and It's getting late. Just promise me you won't manipulate people. To be the winner of our deal, you need to be an observer."

Knives was becoming sleepy and was in no mood to argue further, but there was still a question he needed to ask. "And what about reading their minds, Vash? Are you going to ban me from doing that also?"

Vash had already taught the girls how to shut him out of their minds. All they really needed to do was keep any strong emotional thoughts in check and Knives couldn't read them. But when Knives went to a city . . . The jolly smile appeared on his face again. "Would you actually consider respecting people's privacy?"

A smile crossed Knives' features as well. "No."

The blonde haired gunman shrugged. "Then I'll have to be happy with your other promises." That done both boys finally ended their discussion and went to bed.

Meryl had heard all of this from hers and Millie's bedroom next door. Their shouting had awakened her, but Millie in the bed next to hers had slept through it. Sometimes Meryl thought Millie could sleep through a typhoon.

After they had stopped talking, she had laid in bed for a while before falling asleep, with a silent promise to herself that she would prove Vash right.

After the brothers' agreement, Knives' attitude toward the girls improved, not much, but still, it was better than before. He ate their food without a fuss and even allowed Meryl to change his bandages instead of Vash. He spoke to them on occasion, trying to distinguish any faulty human traits in them. Unfortunately, to his distress, they were the type of humans Vash said existed. Of course they didn't count for the entire population of humans. So Knives quickly dismissed their attempts to show themselves as the models for humanity.

During this time, Meryl had been going over her feelings for Vash since he'd left and found that having his friendship was enough for her. It didn't seem like there needed to be more to their relationship than that. For his part, Vash felt the same way.

Millie, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He'd found that he loved her upbeat attitude and constant smile. Vash was always hovering around her and making sure that he was there if she needed any help. The tall girl seemed to enjoy the attention that he gave her. Meryl had caught the two of them more than once as they gave each other shy glances. She only smiled to herself at the obvious affection her two friends had toward each other.

Once Knives was mobile enough to start joining them at the dinner table, he had also noticed the exchanged looks. Meryl could tell that he was disgusted with his brother. She had a feeling that Knives had confronted his brother about his displays of affection, but counting on Vash he'd probably ignored his brother's attempts to sway his emotions.

Then, one day, not too long after the brothers agreement, a letter came in the mail for the two girls. It was from the Bernardelli head office. It simply stated that Vash the Stampede was no longer considered a threat. He would also no longer need to be kept under twenty-four hour surveillance. Therefore, Millie and Meryl were commanded to return to the office or risk losing their jobs.

The news hit everyone hard, except Knives, of course. He wouldn't have minded the insurance girls leaving. The rest of them had gotten used to living together in their small house. Now a plan needed to be formed on what they would do next.

Vash proposed that he and Knives go with Millie to visit her family. The tall insurance girl had decided to return home to her family for a couple months before going back to work. With his idea, Vash could be around Millie and still keep an eye on his brother.

The plan only had one hitch. The second Knives heard that the rest of her family was like Millie, he said no. A flat out, nonnegotiable no.

The only other option open to Knives was to go with Meryl. Meryl was returning to December in only a couple of days by bus. He would have said no to that alternative as well, but Vash pointed out that December would be the perfect place to find the faults of humanity. The city was one of the largest on the planet, just brimming with all sorts of people. After Knives had given this some thought, he had reluctantly agreed to go.

In this case Meryl was the one who refused to take the psychotic Plant with her. She had inquired as to why he had to come with her. Vash had answered casually that maybe she would have a positive influence on the evil plant. She wasn't so sure herself, but eventually agreed to have Knives come with her. Vash also lent Meryl the pen that went along with his earing. That way she could contact him immediately if needed. A few days later Meryl had said goodbye to her two friends and climbed onto the bus, taking the genocidal maniac with her.

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So here she found herself, as Meryl stepped off the bus in the busy city of December. The morning was just beginning and people were moving along the street, going to their workplaces. Taking care to make sure Knives followed her, she led the way to her small house. She had a feeling that her time with Knives as a house guest, would be the most trying days of her life . . .


	2. First Day

A/N: Second chapter is up! Hope you like it. My next chapter will probably take longer. I want to finish chapter four before uploading it. Thanks to those who reviewed: crypticgoddess, kawaii kitty 82, and smilesmega. I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun (Screams for help from Vash and Knives in the basement)

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Chapter 2: First Day

Meryl breathed a sigh of relief when she finally caught sight of her small home. Knives' quiet footsteps behind her had gradually made her more nervous as they walked through the busy streets.

As Meryl walked up the familiar steps, she smiled to herself. The small girl hadn't realized how much she'd missed her home, the comfort of her own bed. And even if Knives was rooming with her for a while, Meryl could still enjoy being back.

The inside was just as she'd left it. Plus a few more inches of dust. On this planet if you didn't clean often, the sand just piled up in your home.

Placing her luggage beside a small couch in the living room, she turned to look at Knives. He was apparently assessing the house. Meryl could tell that the few inches of dirt repulsed him, neat-freak that he was. The disgusted look on his face also showed how much he hated living in a human's house. No doubt the very thought made him want to gag.

When he finally focused his attention on the small woman in front of him, Meryl told him the layout of the house. There was a small hallway leading from the doorway to the tiny living room. Off to the left of the living room was an open kitchen. Farther into the house was a hallway leading to the three bedrooms in the back. Finally, the bathroom was located at the end of the hallway leading past the bedrooms.

Knives gave Meryl a bored look and walked toward the bedroom she'd indicated as his. Meryl rolled her eyes at his rude behavior, then turned to the job at hand. Throwing her well-worn cloak on the couch, she found the closet, grabbed a broom, mop, and dusting rags. She set about making her home liveable again, cleaning everything in sight until it gleamed. When Meryl was done the layer of dust was gone, the floor scrubbed, and the bathroom sparkling.

She looked with pride on what she had accomplished. The only thing left to do were the bedrooms. She quickly cleaned hers and the other guest bedroom and was now staring at Knives' closed door. If she knew Knives, the shut door was a do-not-disturb sign. But the bedroom needed to be cleaned and she wasn't letting a room in her house stay filthy.

With a gulp and a sigh she quietly knocked on the door. Nothing. She didn't even hear footsteps. Thinking that he might not have heard her she knocked a little louder. Still nothing. Now Meryl was starting to fume. Was he deaf of something? Deciding to try one more time Meryl moved her hand toward the wooden door.

Unfortunately, as her knuckles came within an inch of the door, it suddenly opened. Instead of rapping on the door, Meryl found herself hitting Knives' well muscled chest.

'_Uh-oh'_

Meryl tried drawing her hand back, but Knives' caught her wrist in a bone crushing grip. Wincing in pain, she looked up to meet his cold and furious glare. "Let me go" she told him in a calm voice, trying not to let her fear of him show.

His eyes narrowed and he clenched his hand tighter around her wrist before replying. "What do you think your doing, spider? Who gave you permission to touch me?"

Meryl felt her temper begin to flare up at his words. '_Who does he think he is? Some type of god or something?' _She quietly counted to ten in her mind to calm herself. "You weren't answering, so I thought you hadn't heard my first two knocks" came her quiet reply.

"I heard. I was attempting to ignore you, but your persistence was growing on my nerves." He stated and then released her wrist with a jerk. Knives wiped his hand on his jeans, as if something disgusting was on it. Turning his attention back to her, he gave her another cold look. "Listen to me, _human_," he bit out the word with venom "as long as I stay here, this room is off limits to your kind. Is that understood?"

At his words, Meryl felt herself lose her cool and turned an angry bright red. "How dare you?" she seethed. "This is _my _house, and I refuse to take your high and mighty attitude while you are staying here."

"My word is law to you, spider!" he roared in return.

"Fine! If you don't want me in your godforsaken room, then clean it yourself!" She then proceeded to dump all the cleaning materials on the floor and stalk away. _'Let him do it himself if he's going to be an ass!'_

Knives blinked down at the mess of cleaning material on the floor. _'So she wanted to clean the room'._ He detested doing housework himself. Such a task was below him. Looking down the hallway where she'd gone, he contemplated bringing her back . . . but that would make it look like he'd lost the argument. So, with a disgruntled sigh, he picked all the items of the floor and began sanitizing his room.

After stomping away Meryl decided to inspect the kitchen cupboards for anything edible. After looking through the entire kitchen she groaned inwardly. The food she'd left had either spoiled or had, like the rest of the house, been covered in dust. It was obvious that a shopping trip was necessary.

As it was, with the amount of groceries they needed, Knives' help would be necessary to carry the bags home. Walking back to his bedroom door, she found that the cleaning materials had been moved. It wasn't hard to figure out he'd probably cleaned his room himself. _'Stubborn man'_ she said to herself. Meryl picked up the objects, placed them back in the closet, and was surprised to see Knives standing in the living room. The expectant look on his face told Meryl what time it was. Lunch time.

She really felt like decking him with her fist. He could be such a lazy pig sometimes. Walking over to him she explained their food situation and that the both of them would need to go to the store.

"And why should I help in such a menial task, human?" he bit out. Like he would ever reduce himself to carrying grocery bags!

Meryl huffed and fisted her hips angrily. "Look here, Mr. High and Mighty" She said, jabbing his chest out of reflex. "You may be a little more conservative than your brother, but you still eat a lot of food. There is no way I can carry all the bags back myself."

His only reply was a narrowing of the eyes and a curling of the lip. Taking the look on his face as a no, she turned, grabbed her cloak, and promptly marched out the front door. Saying to herself, _'Fine, let the jerk starve'._ As she walked to where she knew a store was, she heard familiar footsteps behind her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder to find Knives standing behind her. He was looking elsewhere, but Meryl could still make out his annoyed expression. From the narrowed eyes to the set frown. She smirked, pleased with herself for besting the conceited plant.

Glancing down at her smiling face made Knives grit his teeth. "Stop smiling, filth, or I'll do something you will regret." To prove his point his hand moved back the folds of his trench coat, revealing the gun Vash had given back to him.

Meryl took a step back and stared in surprise and horror at the coal black gun. Vash had failed to mention that he'd given his psychotic, genocidal brother a weapon. Regaining her composure, Meryl made a promise to herself. The next time she saw Vash, he'd end up with a trip to the emergency room. She could have yelled at him over his earring, but wanted to see the scared look on his face.

Feeling infinitely more nervous, though she hid it well behind a mask of indifference, Meryl continued up the street.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the store. The large sign on the top of the building read _Bob's Supermarket_. Meryl casually strode inside, waved, and said a friendly hello to the owner of the store, Bob Samson, who stood behind the counter. Then she began browsing the shelves for the items she needed. The store might have been small, but it carried a wide selection of goods. Another of the reasons Meryl chose to come to this establishment, was that the merchandise was never moved around. Bob continually kept everything in one designated area so it was easy to find.

As she gathered items off of the shelves, Meryl piled them on the counter in front of the owner. The store was relatively empty, given that the regular lunch hour had already passed. So in no time at all she had found everything they needed.

When Meryl walked up with the last of the groceries, Bob spoke up. "It's great to see ya' back Miss Stryfe. I heard you was following that Vash the Stampede fellow. I'm surprised to see ya' here in one piece."

Meryl smiled at the man. "Yes, well, Vash was a much nicer person than people rumored him to be." _'It's his brother you should be worried about,'_ she thought quietly to herself.

"Are you finished yet?" Well, speak of the devil. She glanced backwards to find an irritated Knives glowering at her.

"Who's this Meryl? Your boyfriend?" Bob asked innocently.

The pair felt their jaws drop and eyes bulge at that absurd question. Knives was the first of them to regain his voice. "How dare you insinuate that I would have any feelings toward a spider!" He nearly shouted in outrage. He took a very threatening step toward the counter and the man behind it.

Meryl quickly regained her senses and stepped between Knives and his intended victim. "Why don't you wait outside until I'm finished Knives?" Trying to sound as commanding as possible.

"Don't think you can order me around, human." The angry man in front of her bit out between clenched teeth.

Trying a different tactic Meryl said her next words in a pleading tone. "Please, I'm almost done and won't be much longer."

With a huff, the plant gained control of his rage and said as he turned to exit the building. "You had better hurry." His voice held a warning. It was obvious his patience for the day was almost gone.

Meryl breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him storm through the doors of the shop. She turned her attention back to the, now frightened, owner.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Samson. It'll never happen again." She apologized

He nodded dumbly in response, then leaned over the counter to whisper to her. "What's with him?"

She thought over a good response for Knives' lack of manners. "He has problems with being around people." _'Yeah right, Meryl' _her mind told her _'More like he has a problem with the entire human race'._

Mr. Samson's scared look disappeared and was replaced by one of worry. "He's not staying with you, is he?"

Attempting to calm his fears, she gave him a reassuring smile and lied through her teeth."Don't worry, he's harmless."

"If you say so."

She had a feeling he didn't believe her, but must have figured she had a good reason for not telling the truth. Then he began checking out her groceries and soon all of them were bagged and ready to go.

The brave woman went outside and brought Knives back in. He didn't say anything, but gave the owner a cold glare as he picked up most of the bags. The insurance girl grabbed the rest in her arms and with a goodbye, walked quickly after Knives.

By the time she reached her small home, Meryl was exhausted from trying to keep up with Knives' longer strides. In an attempt to placate the moody plant she made his favorite food; tuna sandwiches. She had no idea why, but Vash liked salmon and Knives preferred tuna.

The rest of her afternoon was spent packing away the food and attending to paper work the office had sent her to do.

After dinner she started a fire in the fireplace. The nights tended to get below freezing on this desert planet. Then Meryl situated herself on the sofa with a book. Reading was a pass time she hadn't been able to indulge in for quite awhile.

Just as she'd gotten comfortable, Knives entered the room and sat down in the small chair beside the couch. He'd brought with him his gun and cleaning equipment. Meryl guessed either his bedroom was too cold for him, or the stuck-up man had decided to intimidate her further by cleaning his gun in front of her. With Knives, it was probably the latter.

For the next hour she watched out of the corner of her eye as Knives took apart his gun and cleaned every piece. In retaliation, Meryl decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Standing up, she quietly put the book back on the shelf and walked to her room. Knives' eyes followed her as she disappeared into the hallway. A smirk was on his face. He'd believed that she'd left because he frightened her.

Much to his surprise, she walked back into the room a few minutes later. In her arms was her cloak and some gun cleaning material of her own. Without saying a word, she reseated herself on the couch and started taking out her derringers. Once all fifty were laid out on the couch cushion next to her she started to clean them, imitating Knives.

Knives felt his eyebrow twitch. _'That human female is mocking me!'_ Meryl caught sight of his outraged expression and couldn't suppress a giggle. It was so much fun beating a 'superior' being at his own game.

The giggle didn't go over so well with Knives. He quickly put his gun back together and aimed it at her head. _'Let's see if she laughs at this,' _he thought angrily. Too bad for him Meryl had anticipated his reaction and was pointing two of her derringers at his head as well.

The two of them stayed that way for several minutes. Each of them, in their stubbornness, refused to back down. Finally, Meryl spoke up. The clock told her it was already past eleven and she started work tomorrow. She needed to sleep, not stay up all night pointing guns at the world's biggest pain in the ass.

"Knives, I know we're both tired from our trip. So why don't we be responsible adults and put the guns down?"

"Lower your guns first, woman" came his reply.

Meryl mulled over her options in her mind. She could lower her guns and risk being shot, or lose a night's sleep that she desperately needed. Deciding to take her chances, the brave woman lowered her guns. _'At least if I die, I won't have to go to work tomorrow'_

Much to her horror Knives gave her a sadistic grin and fired his gun. Meryl shut her eyes tight and expected the feel of a bullet to pass through her body. Instead, she felt a burning sensation right on her forehead. She gave a yip and opened her eyes to find Knives chuckling at her. He gathered his things and walked to his bedroom, still chuckling.

Meryl rubbed her forehead and looked down at her lap to find a rubber bullet. She sighed in relief. A rubber bullet she could tolerate. It angered her having been shot at, but at least there was no resulting injuries, except for a wounded pride, of course.

Meryl gathered up her things and walked back to her room. Standing out side Knives' door she swore she heard him still chuckling. Meryl growled and entered her room. Soon she found herself wearing her pajamas and laying in her own comfortable bed again. _'What a day'_ she said to herself as she fell asleep.


	3. Work

A/N: I am back with another chapter! I haven't finished chapter four yet (school is murder) but I thought I'd put three up anyway. Another very grateful thank you to those who reviewed: crypticgoddess, Shantazzar, smiling cat, and Shygurl. Again, I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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Chapter Three: Work

Meryl woke bright and early the next morning. Quickly taking a shower, she put on the office clothing she hadn't worn in over a year, made up of a white blouse and black skirt. Silently looking at herself in the mirror, she felt a hint of sadness. She would miss her old clothes. They were more comfortable and had come to symbolize her time with Vash and Millie and the adventures they had shared together. With a small sigh she turned from her reflection and walked out her room.

The smell of breakfast lifted her mood greatly. Meryl filled her plate and ate her fill of food quickly while downing her mug of coffee at the table alone. She didn't want to be late on the first day back.

The reason she was dining alone was because of the time change for breakfast. When at the other house, the first meal of the day had been around eight. Now she needed to eat at six a.m. if she was to arrive at work on time. Knives apparently hadn't thought or cared about her work schedule. Either way, he never asked and she hadn't volunteered the information.

Meryl was worried about leaving the genocidal maniac on his own, but knew she couldn't watch him twenty-four seven. Besides, she needed to keep her job and have a life outside of babysitting him.

Just as she'd grabbed her cloak and was walking out the door, she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Glancing over her shoulder confirmed her suspicions. The grouchy plant was leaning up against the wall next to the kitchen doorway, his arms folded across his chest. He was still in his pajamas, which consisted of a white silk shirt and blue sweat pants that matched the color of his eyes. A curious and annoyed expression was on his face. Apparently, she'd awakened Knives when moving around fixing breakfast.

"What are you doing?" His voice was gruffer than usual. Owing, no doubt, to the current time of day. Knives, Meryl had learned, disliked mornings the same way he hated humans. In his opinion, both were annoying, pointless, and needed to be exterminated.

Knowing why he had bothered to get up, Meryl faced him and answered immediately. "Don't worry about your food. I've left it on the cooling burner with a lid over the pan. The eggs and bacon will still be warm." She paused, making sure he understood before continuing. "I'll be here for lunch as well so- " She was cut off by a gesture from the blonde.

"Don't bother. I won't be here to eat your filthy human cooking the rest of the day" His tone was harsh as he scorned her thoughtfulness.

'_It's too early to fight. It's too early to fight.'_ She spoke that mantra to keep herself under control. Too bad for her, it was too early in the morning for her to keep what she was thinking to herself. Meryl's next thought was broadcasted loud and clear to the plant. _'Ungrateful bastard!'_

Knives jerked. His eyes widening at the ferocity of her thought. Too sleepy to discipline his actions, he acted on the rage she had stirred in him, and with an angry snarl, lunged at her.

Meryl yelped and made a run out the door before the angry man could grab her. She continued sprinting until she realized there were no footsteps behind her. Stopping, she caught her breath and looked behind her.

Knives had stopped at the edge of the porch. It seemed he didn't want to run in the street after her with only his pajamas on. But the look he was giving her made Meryl shiver. The usual coldness in his eyes had increased greatly and the snarl on his lips made him positively frightening to look at. The insurance lady gulped and watched as plant turned and walked calmly back into the house.

Not exactly how she wanted to start her morning, but at least she was still alive.

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The office lady heaved a sigh of relief as she sat in her chair. Her morning had been way too stressful for her tastes. She was grateful nothing else had happened.

It was only seven in the morning, but the office was already busy with employees going about their tasks. Her own desk was stacked with papers waiting to be done. Meryl gazed at the impressive stack and with a determined frown set about doing her paper work for the day.

She worked diligently until the lunch hour. Originally, the small woman had planned on going back home for her break, but after the altercation of this morning decided to play it safe. Even if Knives had said he wouldn't be there, she still wasn't willing to risk it.

Meryl made a mental note to ask him where he had planned on being. Of course, she'd wait till he was in a better mood. So Meryl grabbed food from a vendor outside, walked to the nearby park, and sat on a bench.

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After Meryl had left Knives that morning he had marched into the house slamming the front door behind him.

After that it had taken him almost an hour to calm himself down enough to think properly. That woman always seemed to rub him the wrong way, even more than the regular human. Once his temper had cooled he set about carrying out the agenda he'd assigned for himself.

He'd taken his customary shower and changed into a pair of black jeans and a white muscle shirt, then found himself in the kitchen. The bitter plant was staring at the breakfast she'd left him. He was tempted to dump it all over her bed just to spite her, but knew that he would need the nourishment if he was to accomplish his task today. So with an angry snort he set about eating the still warm food, plotting revenge the entire time.

By the time he'd put on his trench coat and stepped out of the house, it was nine o'clock. The arrogant being calmly walked down the street, eyeing everyone that he passed.

His mission was to begin finding the proof Vash had asked for and he knew existed. But where to start . . . The city of December was filled with almost one million people. Knives needed a strategic position from which he could watch the humans, but not be noticed. A place where it was all right to watch people as they hurried by, living their pathetic lives.

As the time flew by Knives grew frustrated. He had yet to find an area suitable to his purposes. The noon hour was fast approaching and more people were milling about on the streets. Knives couldn't tolerate a human touching him and with the thickening crowds he was having a hard time avoiding people.

His stomach growled, telling him that it was time for lunch. Looking around, he found an acceptable vendor that was across from a large office building. He made his way through the crowd and quickly ordered some food. The vendor owner was insulted by his arrogant manner, but gave him his food without comment.

The money he used to pay the man had been given to him by Vash. Knives had caught Vash eating Meryl's icecream as a midnight snack. Meryl was as protective of her favorite food as Vash and Millie were of theirs and thus it wouldn't have been good for his brother if she'd found out.

In exchange for his silence, the cruel plant had demanded a portion of his brother's babysitting wages. Yes, Vash had been in charge of the town's daycare service, a job he had loved. Knives felt himself smirk, remembering his twin pleading with him not to tell Meryl. His other half could be such a cowardly fool sometimes.

Knives glanced around for a suitable area to eat his food. Spotting what appeared to be a small park that was made up of a few trees and a small amount of grass, he crossed the street and walked toward some benches. As he dodged a couple of children chasing each other through the park, Knives didn't notice someone stand up in front of him. He ended up walking right into the person. Consequently, he ended up being covered in the food they held and dumping all his lunch onto them as well.

The small insurance girl had checked her watch and found that her lunch break was almost over. Just as she stood to make her way back to the office a large body collided into her, nearly knocking her over. She looked at the front of her outfit, which was now covered in tuna sandwich.

Meryl turned a glare to the idiot who had walked right into her, ready to give him a piece of her mind, and froze. Knives was standing rigid in front of her, eyes flashing and hand on the gun still in its thigh holster. He was coated in the remains of her own sandwich.

As she watched, his upper lip curled into a snarl and his right eye twitched. He was trying his level best to stay in control of his emotions, but failing miserably. A sudden burst of feathers directed her attention to his hand. To her horror his hand, along with the gun, were transforming into a large cannon.

She'd never seen the angel arm but Vash had told her about the weapon, and its destructive powers. Knowing only that she needed to stop him before the people around them noticed or he blew them all to bits, her hands grasped his angel arm. Knives stiffened even more and tried to pull away from her but she held onto him tight.

"Knives, calm down." She whispered to him. His only response was a growl and the angel arm increased in size. "Please," Meryl lifted pleading eyes to lock stares with him. "Please don't do this."

Much to her relief and surprise, her words seemed to penetrate the plant's rage. His body relaxed slightly and his arm slowly reverted back to normal. He roughly pulled his hand out of hers, gave her another icy glare and started to stalk off.

Meryl knew he was still mad at her for the food incident and decided to try and make up for it. She quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Wait Knives. You can't go around looking like that." She nodded toward his still filthy coat.

Annoyed at being reminded of his state of dress, he rudely shoved her to the side and continued walking. Meryl knew she was walking on thin ice, but she had to at least try and help him. After all, half of the event had been her fault, she should have looked before jumping out of her seat. So she quickly reached out and grabbed the back of his trench coat and tugged him toward the Bernardelli headquarters. Backwards.

"Human" he growled. "Get your filthy hands off of me!" Knives tried tugging the cloth out of her grip, but had trouble doing it and keeping his balance. The result was that he landed hard on his butt in the dirt.

Meryl knelt down beside him as he rubbed his now sore backside. "Are you all right Knives?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Does it look like I'm all right, woman!?" He retorted, standing up slowly. "Just what did you think you were doing?!"

"I was trying to help you, if only you would stop being an ass and come with me," she replied back, exasperated by his utter lack of cooperation.

"What would your definition of help be, spider? As far as I've seen, you have been making my life a living hell." He towered over her and glared down at the small woman.

Meryl sighed and rose to her feet as well. "Look, Knives. I know you hate me and I'm not exactly crazy about you either, but that doesn't mean we have to make this situation any more unbearable than it already is." She took a deep breath, carefully choosing her words. "Whether we like it or not, we're stuck with each other. We might as well make the best of it."

Knives gave her a piercing look and Meryl had the feeling he was judging her sincerity. After what seemed like eternity, he hmphed and looked away. She guessed that was his reluctant yes.

"Great." She put on an enthusiastic air to cover up the previous tension. "Now let's get cleaned up. I think we're starting to attract attention."

The plant glanced around to find the surrounding crowd giving them odd looks. He glared back at them and they continued walking. Giving his attention to Meryl he asked, "And where do you suggest we 'clean up' human? Your residence is roughly four iles away."

"Bernardelli has a laundry in the basement that we could use." Without waiting for a reply to her suggestion she began walking to the large building. The still filthy man appeared by her side seconds later.

The two disheveled people promptly strode into the office building and, with Meryl leading the way, descended a set of stairs to the basement. They walked down a small hallway that had many doors on either side that was used for storing the companies files.

She stopped in front of one of the doors, opened it, and entered a room filled with laundry machines. There were so many you would have thought it was a professional laundromat. Knives blinked in amazement. Any type of lost technology was hard to come by, and it was surprising to find so much of it in one room.

Meryl pointed to one of the machines and told him to place his coat in the contraption. She exited the room and he did as she said. Shedding his filthy trench coat he opened the lid and placed it inside the machine she'd indicated.

He wasn't familiar with this type of equipment, so Knives leaned against a wall and awaited her return. He didn't have long to wait. She was back in a few minutes, carrying an extra skirt and blouse to replace the dirty ones she was wearing.

Meryl stared at him expectantly and he just stared back, not knowing what she was trying to silently communicate to him. After a long stare off she asked, embarrassed, "Knives, could you wait outside for a minute?"

"Why?" He asked, wondering at the light shade of red spreading across her cheeks.

She gestured to her dirty clothing and replied in an annoyed tone, "I am not going to take off my clothes with you standing there!"

Knives blinked, attempting to register what she was telling him. It finally clicked, and he gave her a disgusted look before heading for the exit. Like he would actually want to look at her. How dare she believe that he could sink so low. As a parting shot before closing the door, he turned and gave her a smirk.

"I don't believe there is anything worth looking at, anyway."

The insurance woman gaped at him in shock as he shut the door. Then her face turned a nice shade of scarlet as her emotions switched from embarrassment to anger. Meryl grumbled obscenities at the plant under her breath, as she stripped off her clothing.

Once her filthy garments had been exchanged for clean ones, she picked them off the floor and tossed them into one of the machines and started the cycle.

Leaning her back against the rumbling appliance, Meryl took stock of how long a wait her and Knives had for their clothing to be sanitized. According to her calculations, his trench coat would take the longest and would have to be in there for about an hour. Thinking about the coat made her thoughts turn to the man himself and she found herself slapping her forehead and striding to the door.

She'd just let the most dangerous man on the planet out of her sight at her workplace! Who knows what kind of havoc he could cause. It's not like it took much to set him off with that temper of his.

Meryl wrenched open the door and her distress dissolved into a fit of suppressed giggles as she took in the scene before her.

Knives was pressed up against the hallway wall by what appeared to be every female employee in Bernardelli Headquarters. Apparently, rumor had spread fast about the tall, handsome man who was in the building.

She recognized most of the women as the ones who ruthlessly tortured her for one reason or another. The insurance girl's perchance for taking strange assignments had singled her out as an oddball amongst the rest of the insurance workers. Thus, she was generally shunned and picked on by most of the staff for her unusual ways.

Meryl listened in as the trapped maniac was bombarded with questions ranging from 'what's your name?' to 'will you marry me?'. Knives expression went from confused to panicked as the women closed in. They looked about ready to glomp him at any second. He spotted Meryl in the doorway and she could have sworn he was silently pleading for her to help him.

Thinking that she'd gotten enough payback for his earlier comment , Meryl made her way through the mob and stood in front of Knives. She attempted to control the chuckles in her throat as she took on an authoritative tone. "Don't you ladies have work to do?" she questioned the group.

The office workers stopped their advance and Meryl received some cold stares. One of Knives' fangirls spoke up, addressing Meryl with a scathing and mocking voice. "What's it to you Stryfe? We all know he can't be your boyfriend or anything. Not with the body you have." A few heads nodded in agreement, and other hateful comments were whispered by the crowd.

A large slap silenced them in a second. The tiny woman had reached out and struck the speaker in one swift motion, almost knocking her to the ground. Having already dealt with Knives today, she didn't have the patience for anyone else and this particular person had also been a large thorn in Meryl's side.

Her body shook with the repressed anger. She bit out her next words through her clenched teeth. "At least I have enough pride not to go fawning over every man I see."

The girl had opened her mouth to respond when a large voice from out of nowhere stated. "Lunch ended over half an hour ago, people. Get back to work." Everyone stiffened, recognizing the voice, before speeding off to their work stations. Meryl grimaced as her boss walked up to her with a slightly annoyed expression.

You wouldn't know he was the head honcho by looking at the man. He was only about 5'8, large, and his monotone voice would bore anyone to death. Many guessed the reason he earned his position to be the dictator aura he had around him.

"Miss Stryfe, you know company policy forbids having guests in the building unless given explicit permission from me."

"I know sir, but there was an incident and uh . . . my friend and I required the use of the machines." Meryl almost laughed at herself for those words, but they were the best she could come up with. It's not like she was going to tell the boss that a genocidal maniac was loose in the building.

The chief gave her a long hard look before sighing and rubbing his temple wearily. "All right Miss Stryfe, but make sure that this occurrence doesn't happen again. Do you understand?"

After giving him an affirmative nod he turned to walk back upstairs. He stopped and gave her a small smile. "I don't need my entire female staff disappearing on me again." With that he continued his journey and was soon out of sight.

Meryl breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there she thought she'd end up fired! Hearing movement behind her, she glanced over her shoulder at Knives. She'd forgotten about him after the other employee had insulted her.

His arms were crossed over his chest and he was giving her his regular scowl that had a hint of disgust mixed in. "You humans and your emotions."


	4. Data

A/N: Hello! Hehehe...I know it's been awhile and I really don't have a good excuse for not updating sooner. So I hope you'll forgive me and enjoy this new chapter. I've also decided to do reviewer responses as I like it when authors respond to my emails.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but no. I am but a poor college student.

crypticgoddess: Glad you liked the small fight scene with Meryl. I do hope you can forgive me for taking so long to update.

gir: Yeah, Knives can be a really big jerk most of the time. He's so egotistical.

Anonymous: Glad you enjoyed it. I try to put some funny scenes in.

Shantazzar: Now that I go back and read it I guess I kind of switched around from one to the pretty fast. But I had to torture Knives!

KT: So happy you like it. If you like MerylxKnives fics you should read Two Plants and A Girl by Thunk. It's the best fic I've found with that pairing.

Wolf-of-Hope: Yeah, I was snickering the entire time I wrote it.

Shygurl: I think Meryl is beautiful myself and love her courage and determination.

Elf3748: Knives/Meryl is my favorite pairing but Vash/Meryl is great too!

Anhdunamis: I wanted to torture Knives so what better way than with a group of humans trying to mall him?

Sunsilver: With their two personalities being so much alike (both stubborn) it's not hard to picture them bickering a lot.

annie: I try to make my fic as correct grammatically as I can. Makes it easier to read.

Faery Goddyss: Thank you for reviewing my fic! So kind of you and yes it is hard to picture Knvies OC because you almost never see him in the anime. Thanks for catching the spelling mistake and now it's fixed. Glad you like it enough to review all the chapters!

Lunis: Sorry about only having three chapters. I'll try harder to get out the next chapter quicker.

Magnet-Rose: I appreciate you taking the time to bother reading my fic. Was really nice of you

Jaquelynn McKnight: Yes, I know I don't update as much as you do. But I am a really slow writer (not to mention a lazy one). And I am so glad you didn't mind me reviewing every chapter of your fic. I thought you should have gotten a lot more reviews than what you had.

paynt: Glad you like my fic. I love it when the authors of stories I'm reading read my fic. It's so nice of you to do that! Thanks!

Definitely need to get my chapters out faster with so many good reviewers such as yourselves to spur me on! Thanks everyone! Now onto the story!

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Chapter Four: Data

Meryl turned to hide the smirk that flashed across her face. Typical of Knives to degrade the human race to hide his own embarrassment. She regained enough of her composure so only a small smile played across her lips.

Meryl reentered the laundry room, tossing a comment over her shoulder to the man walking in behind her.

"I thought you of all people would appreciate the attention. You're always going off on how you deserve to be worshiped because you are a," she imitated his usual condescending voice, "'superior being'."

Knives bristled, but kept any temptation to physically harm her in check. She was doing it again. Shoving his own words roughly back down his throat. He answered her quickly so the human wouldn't think she was getting the better of him, again.

"I've never mentioned anything about getting mauled by the female gender of your disgusting species. I am superior to any human in every way. All humanity should have to acknowledge that plants are a superior breed to them!"

His last words came out as more than a roar than anything else. The professional woman felt a sweatdrop forming. Knives' rant reminded her of something everyone had done as children when they didn't get what they wanted. Throw a temper tantrum.

The woman glanced nervously at the (thankfully) closed door of the room. Not only was the man acting ridiculous, but he was being loud about it as well. The last thing Meryl wanted was her boss coming back down with another lecture.

A loud buzzing noise broke off any other comments that Knives might have made. Meryl glanced at the washer that housed his coat and heaved a sigh of relief. His coat had finally been cleaned and a lot faster than she'd anticipated. _'These must be new machines,' _she thought to herself.

Now hopefully she could get him out of the building and not have to look at his unpleasant face for a few hours. With quick strides she walked over to the machine, grabbed his coat, and promptly threw it at him. He caught the now clean clothing before it could hit him in the face. He gave Meryl a death glare before donning it and gracefully made his way out of the room. By the time she reached the doorway he was already gone.

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'_Infuriating woman!'_ Knives thought as he stalked down the street. The plant had left the insurance building quickly after exiting the laundry room. Now ten minutes later and his anger was still raging within him.

The rage that was apparent on his face allowed him a wide berth from the rest of the crowd of people. No one wanted to further annoy the already pissed off looking man.

Knives finally noticed the looks he was gaining and forced himself to calm down. Rage would do him no good right now. What he should be focusing on is his data collection. He would already have gathered some information by now if it wasn't for that midget. Just thinking about her made his blood boil. Knives mentally shook his head. Thinking about the wench was not helping him to keep his cool.

Glancing at his surroundings, the man noticed that his heated walk had taken him into a different part of the city. No longer were the buildings like the Bernardelli main office. These appeared to be saloons.

Knives felt a smirk creep onto his face. This was the perfect spot to gather just the evidence he needed to convince Vash of their inherent flaws. And the need to wipe them out of existence.

Knives' little incident with Meryl and the walk afterwards had ended up eating most of the daylight hours away. The time was crawling toward five o'clock and most people were getting off of work. That meant people were starting to enter the bars to spend their money on drinks. Taking a quick look at the buildings, Knives chose a particularly dirty establishment. The nastier the place, the worse the occupants.

Stepping through the doors, Knives was hit with the overwhelming stench of alcohol and humans who apparently didn't bathe often. Reigning in the urge to gag, he sat himself down at the bar.

A particularly fat and dirty human, who Knives assumed to be the owner, eyed him from the other end of the bar. Presumably coming to the conclusion that Knives had the money to buy a drink, he sauntered over and stood on the other side of the bar. In a gruff voice he asked what Knives wanted. The plant gave him a cold look for his insolent attitude, but replied that he would have a shot of whiskey.

While the man lumbered off to get his drink, Knives took the time to survey the tavern and its occupants. The filthy state of the place mirrored its owner, and the people drinking and playing cards were no better. The only thought running through his head was how he would love to destroy the pieces of garbage right then and there. Sadly, he had made a deal and would keep to his word. He was above the humans who would make idle promises and then turn around and break them.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of a glass being placed in front of him. Turning back to the bartender, Knives saw that his drink was sitting there in the man's grasp. He was holding out his other hand expectantly. The agitated psychopath plucked a few double dollars and tossed them at the human, wishing him out of his sight.

Knives resumed his examination of the bar and the crowd within, looking for the proof he required to bring Vash around. Nothing in the smoke-filled room stood out to Knives as good enough evidence for mankind's eradication.

Then something in the back corner caught his eye. It appeared as if a group of humans were playing a poker game. Deeming it worthy of a closer observation, the plant inspected of each of the men's minds. What he found brought a smirk to his face. Thoughts of mistrust for their fellow card players were floating around in their heads. '_Interesting,'_ Knives thought, the smirk growing. _'Perhaps there is data to be gained here after all.' _

Deciding that patience was needed, he settled himself down to wait all night if necessary. The tension that was surrounding the table was getting thicker by the minute. Soon one of the players would break and do something rash.

The clock on the wall that was covered in grime showed that the time was inching towards ten when Knives' prediction came true.

One of the men suddenly started getting into a heated argument with another man at the table. He was outright accusing the man of cheating and soon the bickering turned physical. Within minutes one of the humans had drawn his gun and started shooting.

Knives made sure he was well out of the way when others started pulling their guns out as well. Soon the air was filled with screams and several of the people in the bar, including the innocent bystanders, were lying on the ground, some wounded, others probably worse.

Having seen enough to satisfy himself, Knives quickly made his way out of the building. As he calmly walked down the street, the sounds of gunfire still sounding behind him, the evil man filed away all that he had seen tonight. It was the perfect evidence he had been looking for to condemn mankind. He knew he needed more, but tonight had been a great start.

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Not half an hour later Knives was entering the small spider's house, surprised to find that the front door had been left unlocked. He wouldn't put it past the human to try and lock him out.

The house was pitch black and Knives surmised that the woman had already gone to sleep.

The plant was just poking his head into the refrigerator to find something to eat when the kitchen light turned on, nearly blinding him with the sudden change of brightness. Blinking a few times, he glared at the perpetrator of his temporary sight loss.

Standing in the kitchen entrance was a very irritated Meryl Stryfe. The woman must not have been asleep like Knives thought as she wasn't wearing her nightclothes. Her next words confirmed his suspicions.

"And just where do you think you've been?" The words were without the slur and slow quality he was used to hearing when she talked in the morning.

In no mood for an interrogation, he answered with a condescending, "That is of no concern of yours, human." He then turned his attention back to the contents of the refrigerator.

Meryl gave him her usual glare but lost it when she involuntarily yawned. She silently watched as Knives fumbled around looking for something to eat, before shaking her head and striding toward him.

With a shove that earned her a growl and fierce look, Meryl moved Knives out of the way and began gathering food out of the fridge. She set the ingredients out on the counter and retrieved a pan and other cooking utensils from the cupboards. Turning the stove, on the small woman began chopping and preparing food.

The smell of cooking food snapped Knives out of his daze. "I didn't ask for your help, human," was his grateful reply to the fact that she was obviously cooking him his dinner at 10:45 at night.

Meryl didn't even pause in her preparation when she answered him back. "No, you didn't, but that doesn't mean you don't _need _it."

Her expressive use of the word 'need' made Knives want to give her a scathing remark back. Unfortunately for him, his stomach was begging him to remain silent. Not doing so could result in him having a burnt dinner he'd tried to make himself instead of the delicious smelling concoction the human was currently making.

With an inaudible sigh, the man sunk into one of the chairs at the table and awaited his meal. Leaning back in the chair Knives suddenly remembered a conversation he'd had with Vash the night before leaving that small town.

His brother had come into their shared room and stood in the doorway. Knives could tell he had something he wanted to say and, out of curiosity, asked him what it was.

"_I just wanted to_ _remind you about our bargain Knives," Vash said with a worried tone._

"_I haven't forgotten, brother. I will find the evidence you have asked for that will prove I am right." He'd said this with an air of complete confidence that only made Vash's mouth turn down in a frown._

"_Yes, you probably will find times in which humans don't act as they should toward each other," came his reply. "But that doesn't mean you should ignore the good aspects of humanity. There are two sides to every coin Knives. If only you could see that."_

The sad look in his brothers eyes had angered him then. The fool didn't realize that the humans were only parasites who fed off other life forms so they could survive. Humans could never show compassion or any other positive emotion.

He watched the human female place a plate of hot food in front of him. Right then his only thoughts were of the cruelness he'd witnessed tonight and not of the act of kindness sitting on the table under his very nose.


	5. Days Off

A/N: Hello to all! Yes I am still alive and writing. Sorry, as always, for making you wait so long. I do hope you'll forgive me and accept this long chapter as my apology. I know I said that I would do reviewer responses, but I got so many nice reviews! So I thought I'd just say a big thank you to everyone who was kind enough to review me and tell me what they thought.

I'd also like to recommend a few fics that I have personally loved. The first is on a Trigun website called Ricki's Trigun Anime Planet, the web address is www. geocities. com/whatcher2/index.html (Take out the spaces). The fic is 'Blackfire and Gunsmoke' by Dwellin. Her fanfiction is REALLY good. There are also a lot of other nice fanfictions and cool Trigun stuff that any fan would enjoy.

Another is my sister/EternalSorrow's 'Sins of the Soul'. If you're into vampires and Trigun I, highly recommend it.

By the way, I tend to go back and change my grammar and a few things in my earlier chapters. Nothing major, just little things that bug me. Well, that's it for my rantings. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own Trigun...riiiiiiight.

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Chapter 5: Days Off

The next few days continued in a regular pattern. Meryl would sit at her desk all day going over insurance claims, and Knives would stalk around the city looking for more 'evidence'.

Finally the weekend arrived and Meryl couldn't have been more glad. The office had received an unbelievable amount of claims and the paperwork to go with it had nearly buried her desk. There was only one hitch with Meryl's plan to spend time in her own home. That problem being that a moody plant would also be present.

The entire week she'd been able to avoid the man by going to her job. His habit of staying out of the house most of the day had also aided her.The few times she had seen him comprised of the late night dinners she cooked for him, even then they never spoke a word to each other. As to why he was always out so late, the small woman had a sneaky suspicion that the psychopath was trying to win the bet he'd made with his brother. Knowing that anything she said on the topic of humanity to Knives would be like talking with a brick wall, Meryl never tried to influence his opinion. Now her only hope was that Knives would continue the day-long absences from the house through the weekend.

'_Even if that man lingers around'_ she thought with a determined look, _'I'll not let him ruin my days off.'_

Currently the insurance lady was sitting in the lone chair in the living room, reading a book. It was a Friday night and the plant was nowhere to be seen. The air was eerily quiet and it was at times like these that she missed her two best friends the most. Even before she'd met Vash Millie had been around to keep her company. After work they would typically go to one of their homes and play chess (Millie always won) or just sit and talk.

With a sigh, Meryl placed the book on the end table and made her way to the kitchen. Maybe dinner preparations could deter her mind from her loneliness. Unfortunately, the thought of eating dinner alone didn't improve her dreary mood. _'I almost wish that ass of a man was here just so I wouldn't have to eat alone.'_ At this thought Meryl groaned aloud. Her loneliness had to be bad if she was even contemplating having that plant around.

Trying to forget what she'd just that thought, she began grabbing ingredients from the cupboards and fridge. The woman set about making a green salad with spaghetti and meatballs. So engrossed was she in her cooking, Meryl never heard the front door open and close. The sound of a heavy trench coat being dropped on the sofa caused her to jump into the air with a squeak of surprise.

Turning around quickly Meryl found herself looking at the psychotic killer himself, a disgusted expression on his face. Apparently he hadn't found her near heart-attack to be very entertaining.

"What is your problem now, human?" He snarled.

The woman stood there for a second before biting back with her own scathing comment. "My problem," she seethed, waving a wooden spoon threateningly "is the ass standing right in front of me."

"You will show proper respect for a superior species, woman!" Knives yelled back.

Meryl took a deep breath. She really wasn't in the mood for another one of their fights. Since the moment he'd awakened after being shot by Vash they'd done nothing but squabble like five-year-olds. One of them had to be the grownup and stop their arguing. As it appeared Knives wasn't going to act like the one-hundred thirty-year-old plant that he was, Meryl knew she would have to step up to the plate.

"Look Knives," she began "I know you dislike me and I feel mutually toward you, but can't we at least be civil toward each other?" When it appeared he wasn't going to cooperate she added, "Vash would want us to get along."

He pondered this for a moment. During the times the two had fought back at the old house, Vash had always been distressed over their inability to tolerate the other's presence. He supposed it would do no harm to be civil with the spider even if he absolutely abhorred her kind. "Very well. I will agree to this, but only for my brother's sake" he warned.

"Good," was her simple reply. Maybe their situation as roommates might not be too bad afteral. Turning back to the salad she asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

The plant gave her a suspicious look, wondering what she was getting at. Deciding to dine her with an answer he said a simple 'no'.

Meryl caught his distrustful voice. "I was only wondering if you'd like to eat with me," she soothed him.

A 'humph' came from behind her and the next Meryl knew Knives was peering over her shoulder curiously. The woman couldn't think of a time when he'd been so close. Willingly that is. Of course she had to have been in close proximity when changing his bandages, but now it seemed different.

"What are you concocting?"

His voice broke Meryl out of her thoughts and her nervousness caused her to stutter a little."S-salad and spaghetti."

Looking out of the corner of her eyes she saw a contemplating look on his features. "I do not recall you cooking this certain meal before." He was still standing right behind her.

Meryl took a deep breath to calm her nerves before replying. "Only the stores in the larger cities carry the ingredients for the sauce and lettuce is hard to come by anywhere" she stated. Speaking of sauce . . . Meryl let out a gasp and glanced at the sauce she'd left on the burner. Making a quick dash, she managed to save the food from being burnt into an icky mess. The insurance lady gave a relieved smile and turned back to Knives.

He was still standing where she'd left him when she had made her mad dash to save dinner. From the confused look on his face Meryl surmised that he had no idea why she had unceremoniously sprinted across the kitchen. That gave her cause to wonder, not for the first time, how he'd survived so long without learning the basic art of cooking. Deciding to take advantage of their truce she voiced her question. "How in the world can you be one-hundred thirty years old and not know how to cook?"

Knives gave her an annoyed look and answered back, "I have had no need to procure my own sustenance in such a manner. The SEEDs ship I had occupied most of my life had food replicators."

"Replicators?" Meryl repeated, unfamiliar with the term.

The man had the urge to roll his eyes at the lack of knowledge humans had about their own technology. "A replicator," he stated, "is a device used to generate food. It does so by recreating the genetic structure of the substance you program the machine to create."

The young lady blinked a few times in apparent confusion. "You know," she began, "if you decide that mankind has the right to exist, you could always become a professor. Your tone of voice would work perfectly." She gave him a small smile and turned back to her cooking.

This comment startled him out of his usual superior air. His face displayed shock and disbelief and his shoulders sagged. All in all he resembled a fish out of water as he stared at the small woman's back. The only thought filtering through his mind was _'Females are an entirely different species altogether.'_

By the time Meryl glanced behind her he had recomposed himself. After checking to make sure that the food was getting done, she approached Knives. "Would you like to learn how to cook?" she asked calmly.

A slender eyebrow rose in question. "What need would I have for such a skill?"

Meryl thought this over for a second. "Well, if you ever end up with Vash as your only companion you'll need it. You've seen Vash try and cook before. The food either ended up burnt to a crisp or so undercooked you could have sworn it moved." she pointed out.

Sadly enough, Knives had to agree with this assessment. His brother was most definitely lacking when it came to domestic chores. Though he dreaded asking a human for assistance in anything, he knew that her knowledge would prove invaluable in learning the artifice of cooking. The meals she had procured for him in the past had proved to be appetizing. His mind made up he answered the woman before him. "I find your argument valid and will allow you to instruct me."

His egotistical words made her want to roll her eyes. The man could be so full of himself! She refrained from the childish gesture and informed him that they could begin tomorrow. Then she could teach him how to make dishes for each meal of the day. As for right now, the spaghetti and salad were ready.

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At promptly seven o'clock the next morning Knives and Meryl found themselves in the kitchen once again. The young woman had decided that she would first teach the plant how to make scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes for breakfast.

She started off by showing him which utensils would be needed for these foods. It just wouldn't do for a person to use a pot for something like pancakes! The instructing took little time and, to Meryl's surprise, he seemed to be paying very close attention to what she was saying. _'This might not be too bad'_ she thought. Her initial dread faded away.

After the introduction to cookware, the next lesson was pancake batter mixing. This step was supposed to be relatively easy and clean. Taking one look around the now filthy kitchen proved beyond a doubt that Vash and Knives were related. Flour coated the entire kitchen counter and both occupants of said kitchen.

Meryl had realized that the flour container was almost empty and had kindly asked the man beside her to retrieve the bag of flour from the pantry. After much grumbling on his part he finally obliged her and gathered the necessary ingredient. Unfortunately, he had not noticed the slight tear in the bottom of the bag. Just as he was reaching the counter the bottom of the bag chose that moment to tear completely open.

The young woman snuck a look at her companion. He was standing where he'd had been for the last minute, empty bag of flour still in hand. You would have thought him a white statue except for the twitch of his right eye. "Knives?" Meryl asked cautiously.

Now Knives didn't believe himself to be a quitter. Quite the opposite actually. After all, he'd chased after his dream of the destruction of mankind for over a century. But he also didn't believe in wasting his time with petty things. And now cooking had been added to his list of trivial things. Without saying a world to his companion he started for the bathroom, intent on ridding himself of all traces of this fiasco.

The insurance lady automatically sensed his decision and quickly blocked his path. "You can't just stop now!" she cried desperately. Meryl hated seeing people give up. "Remember the time when Vash cooked a toma and no one could tell the difference between the dark and white meat?" Maybe an example of Vash's culinary efforts would succeed where her pleas would fail.

He stilled in his attempts to sidestep her, a faint look of horror and disgust on his features. _'Maybe I shall give this 'cooking' another chance . . . '_ The man exhaled in a sigh and Meryl took that as a sign that he would stay.

"Great! Now go wash and I'll clean up this mess."

Twenty minutes, two clean people, and one spotless counter later they continued the lesson.

After adding a few more ingredients they came to the egg cracking part. Each of them had their own mixing bowls with which to crack the eggs into. Unfortunately, the art of egg cracking seemed to be beyond Knives. The dozen or so eggs he'd used in his attempt were proof of that.

Meryl finally took the eggs away from him and promptly told him that enough eggs had been sacrificed for the day. She pointedly ignored the death glare she received.

The rest of the breakfast preparations went off without a hitch and soon both people were sitting at the table, enjoying the food they'd made.

Lunch was a simple affair. Meryl had decided that vegetable soup was an easy-to-make, yet tasty, dish. Knives, being the fast learner that he was, excelled wonderfully. He was able to take the lessons from breakfast and apply them to the soup. Meryl knew that she shouldn't, for it would only make his already humongous ego grow, but she complimented him highly on his creation.

He replied with a snide remark about plants being superior to humans in every way. She in turn dared to mention his lack of finesse when it came to egg cracking. Knives promptly dropped the conversation after that.

For dinner, a more complicated meal had been planned. The man had thus far excelled in his tasks and she thought he could take up the challenge.

As the plant entered the kitchen, he found the counter and table littered with all kinds of food. The human was in front of the counter where two small pans lay. At that moment she noticed him and gestured for him to join her.

"For dinner," she began, "I thought we could create lasagna. This dish takes a little more time and effort than the previous ones we've done. For this particular food you must take the ingredients, cook them separately, and then combine them and cook them again."

Within an hour there were two pans full of lasagna baking in the oven. Now that the food was out of the way Meryl decided to tell Knives the next step of his cooking lesson. "Tomorrow I'm going to let you have free reign of the kitchen. You can decide on what you want to make for each meal. Think of it as a test and I'll be the one to grade you." She smiled at her words.

Knives wasn't happy with the thought that he would be doing all the cooking, but it would be a perfect opportunity to show up the human. With a slight incline of his head he agreed to her terms.

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The next morning dawned bright and early for Meryl as her alarm clock rang six-thirty. Her usual wake-up time for the weekends was around seven, but she'd awakened earlier just in case Knives might need help.

After she'd taken a shower, the insurance lady became aware of sounds emanating from the kitchen. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd gotten up early this morning. Her suspicions were confirmed when she rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen.

The table had already been set for two and was already laden with bacon and eggs sunny-side-up. The cook himself was at the counter patiently spooning the last of the batter onto the waffle iron.

The small woman had made a trip to the grocers after the flour incident.

"Wow . . . " Meryl said, completely taken aback by the scene before her. Knives had certainly gone all out for the meal. The young woman slowly took her seat as she gazed at the beautifully set table. He'd used some of her best china, which she was surprised he had found, and the food looked very delectable. She watched as he set the last dish filled with waffles on the table and seated himself as well. He had a faintly smug expression on his face.

"You honestly didn't expect me to do anything but my best, did you?" She even heard the amusement in his voice.

Meryl felt herself blush in embarrassment. "I just didn't think you'd take this so seriously," she admitted.

He smirked and said, "I never give less than one-hundred percent in anything I do."

"So I can tell," she answered as she took another look around the table.

Thereafter silence followed as the both of them scooped food onto their plates. Now the ultimate test would come. Was the yummy looking food edible? Knives seemed quite confident in his cooking and was already digging into his own food. With a shrug Meryl joined him and put a fork full of waffle into her mouth. Her eyebrows rose in surprise at the taste. It was delicious! Hearing a chuckle she raised her eyes from her plate and saw that Knives had been watching her.

His entire demeanor screamed self-satisfaction. She waited for him to say something along the lines of 'I told you so', but pleasantly nothing came.

The food was finished off soon after and then they cleaned the dishes together. Meryl was then ordered out of the kitchen by the plant, saying that she would only be in his way. She indulged him and stayed in her room writing reports until he called for her. A loud 'human' was her signal that she could come and eat.

Lunch turned out to be just as good as breakfast. Knives had decided on chili and cornbread for the meal. Again Meryl was impressed by both the presentation and the food itself. He repeated his earlier actions and swiftly kicked her out of the kitchen after the dishes were finished. This time though, the young woman was given directions to change into something 'more appropriate'. Whatever that meant.

Meryl had finished her work by five and there was still no sign that Knives was done. She could still hear the sound of food being prepared. Deciding to be a little sneaky she slowly opened her door, thankful for the quiet hinges, and made her way toward the kitchen. Just as the woman reached the kitchen doorway and was about to peak around into the area, she found her world being turned upside down!

She quickly regained her bearings and realized that Knives had her over his shoulder and was swiftly making his way back to her room. Such a compromising position automatically brought out the temper in her and she ordered him to put her down. Her only answer was a tisk sound. Knives reached her bedroom and before she could utter a sound he had promptly opened the door, walked up to her bed, and deposited his burden on it.

The outrage was evident and as she sputtered at him he made his way back out of the room. It wasn't until Meryl heard the sound of a chair on the other side of the door did she get suspicious. Bouncing off the bed she attempted to open the door and found her hunch was correct. That man had actually had the gall to lock her in her own room! No doubt he'd put a chair on the other side of the door to keep it from opening.

Well, he'd have to let her out sometime and when he did . . . For the next hour Meryl thought up ways to get back at him ranging from shrinking his clothes to forcing him to meet Millie's family. Not that she'd actually do any of them, but it was a nice way to vent her anger. That and picking out an evening gown to wear that would hopefully be 'appropriate'.

Finally when six-thirty was rolling around there was a noise in the hall and then the door slowly opened. She expected to see him standing there with that annoying smirk on his face, but there was no on there. For a second she freaked out before remembering about his plant abilities.

The insurance lady stuck her head out the door cautiously just in case he was there. He wasn't. As she stepped fully into the dark hallway, her bedroom door shut behind her almost causing her to scream. Talk about creepy . . . _'Oh well,' _she thought, _' just another thing to get after him about.'_ Since there was only one other place he'd be she slowly headed for the kitchen, intent on giving him a piece of her mind.

Oddly enough, the lights in the entire house were off. The only source of illumination was a soft glow from the kitchen. Intent on facing him head on she quickly stepped into the doorway of the room, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

The room was decked out in many sweet-smelling candles that varied in sizes. They were everywhere. From the top of the fridge to the stove. But it was the sight in the middle of the room that caught her attention. The table had a soft velvet looking cloth draped over it and her very best china was set up for two. A candelabra with two candles was set in the middle of the table surrounded by plates of food that she didn't recognize. Then there was the man who'd undoubtably set this entire scene that looked, for all appearances, like an Italian restaurant. Knives himself had worn a deep red dress shirt and black slacks. In his hand was a wine glass that was filled with some of the red wine from the bottle on the table.

His smirk and cold eyes twinkling in amusement brought her back to reality. He looked as if he'd just won some bet or something. She was grownup enough to admit that he'd done a great job with the atmosphere and told him so. His only reply was to set his glass down, stand, and walk around the table to pull out her chair. _'Okay,'_ the woman thought suspiciously. He was acting really weird, even for him. Getting to the point she asked him, "What are you up to?"

"Up to?" he questioned her back. "I am simply fulfilling my duty as host to this evening's activities."

Finding no rebuttal for his statement she allowed him to seat her at the table. As he sat down, she noticed that her plate was already filled with food. Her curiosity got the better of her and she inquired as to what he had cooked.

She could have sworn she saw his ego grow with that question.

"The main dish on your plate is an Italian meal that has whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce. The bread is whole wheat focaccia with caramelized onions." He stated this all in a matter of fact tone that sent Meryl reeling.

"Where in the world did you find the recipes for these?" She asked, dumfounded beyond belief.

"You weren't even aware that you had an ancient Italian cookbook on your bookcase?" His voice betrayed his disappointment at her lack of knowledge of her own home.

Meryl thought for a moment before snapping her fingers in realization. "It must have been with the pile of books I inherited from my grandfather." She smiled sheepishly. "I didn't really look at them. I just put the books on the shelf and forgot about them."

"Indeed." His voice was very condescending.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" She inquired of him. "You've apparently put it to good use." He only grunted and began to eat. Meryl followed his example and soon both of them were enjoying the meal and, surprisingly, each other's company. They spoke of a wide range of topics and were having so much fun that the clock striking ten startled them.

Realizing that she needed to rise early in the morning for work Meryl abruptly rose from her seat. She quickly walked up to Knives and told him again how wonderful everything was. Maybe she'd had too much wine or maybe it was the atmosphere, but before she left for her bedroom she gave the man a little peck on the cheek as another thank you.

She never looked back to see him slowly reach a hand to his cheek with a startled and confused look on his face.


	6. Incident

A/N: Hello to all my readers! Here is my next installment of Roommates. I hope you enjoy it. My longest chapter yet! I wanted to thank all the people who reviewed my last chapter. I appreciate it, guys! Oh, and amoebafive, I use grammar check regularly, but no program is perfect, so please, tell me my mistakes and I'll gladly change them.

Disclaimer: One can only dream . . .

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Chapter 6: Incident

A few days after the kiss Meryl was having a hard time believing it took place. Life had continued on its course uninterrupted. There were still mounds of paperwork to do at the office and Knives had kept on journeying around the city.

The only obvious differences were that the plant would have dinner with her. Not that he stopped prowling around at night. He would leave after the meal and come back at his usual late hour. The other change was that Knives would occasionally cook himself, doing so just to prove that he could excel at yet another task.

As another week passed, a small competition had started. To the victor went the title of best cook. It was inevitable that Knives would claim to be the better cook, stating that his culinary delights were far better than Meryl's. He'd gone about proving himself correct by preparing lavish meals. Meryl, not one to be shown up, had retaliated with her own extravagant dishes.

The result of all this rivalry had ended up with Meryl making several trips to the grocery store, the competition having depleted their stock of food at an alarming rate. Meryl had to admit, though, that his food was quite tasty, and it was easy enough to stop off at the store on her way home from work anyway.

She regularly didn't mind stopping off for food, but lately she'd been getting an odd feeling as she walked from the store to her home. It was the feeling you got when you're being watched.

The young woman could never pinpoint any particular person who could be looking at her. The streets were always too crowded with people on their way home themselves. Though as long as there were other people around she hadn't been afraid of her watcher. The one time she had been frightened was when the streets had been much emptier than usual. This was because of a half holiday and it seemed like everyone but her had gotten to leave work early.

On that day she had found herself practically sprinting through the streets.

The same feeling had been prominent on this day as all the others. Meryl had stopped at one point to adjust the bags in her hands when a sound that froze her blood caught her attention. The nosie was that of footsteps on the hard packed dirt of the street. The young woman glanced over her shoulder to find that the street still appeared to be empty.

Meryl had taken a deep breath to get her bearings and continued walking, albeit at a faster pace than before. Her heart was beating in her ears. For the next block she kept giving furtive glances behind herself. The street still appeared to be desolate of any other person, but her intuition told her otherwise. The feeling of being stalked by a predator was infringing on her usually calm and collected nature.

By now, in her half-panicked state, even the darkness settling in from the setting of the sun appeared threatening. Anything could be hidden in the darkness, waiting to seize her.

Needless to say, as soon as her home came in sight, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, her exhale quickly turned into a gasp as the sound of a person running toward her from behind hit her ears. The instinct to run kicked in and Meryl made a dash for the front door. In one swift movement she opened the door, slipped inside, and hastily slammed the portal closed behind her. She then proceeded to sink to the floor with the sounds of her erratic breathing and thumping heart in her ears.

Knives had been in the kitchen and had rushed to the front hallway. The force Meryl used to shut the door had shaken the walls slightly and thus caught his attention. His first thoughts were that a bomb had exploded. He expected to find the front of the house blown away or in crumbling pieces.

What he did find was an obviously flustered insurance lady sitting on the floor with her back to the door. Grocery bags were sitting around her gasping form.

An eyebrow rose in curiosity at the strange spectacle. He'd never seen Meryl Stryfe so ruffled before. She was usually the picture of calm and collective, much like himself, though he was loathe to admit it. Knives couldn't help but wonder what had caused her such obvious distress.

He watched as the human slowly rose to her feet and started gathering up the bags. She hadn't noticed him as yet, so he cleared his throat to gain her attention. The eyebrow rose again as the woman jumped straight into the air with a yelp of surprise.

Meryl quickly turned to face him with her features showing a look of terror. She breathed a loud sigh of relief when she realized it was only Knives. The young woman had stopped fearing him a long time ago. Now the only thing she felt being around him right now was a sense of safety, like he would protect her from anything. It was strange feeling this about Knives, the self-proclaimed killer of mankind, but at this moment it was welcomed.

Though she was hesitant to tell him of her fears. He wasn't known for his compassion and would probably laugh at her fright. So she attempted to laugh sheepishly even though she was still jumpy from her ordeal. "I didn't want to walk in the dark," was her answer to his unspoken question.

He knew she was lying, the excuse she'd given easily seen through for the untruth that it was. Still, he didn't care enough to find out what was really troubling her. Instead he let the conversation drop and walked back into the kitchen where he was no doubt cooking dinner.

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Neither mentioned the incident again and the next few days passed without any further mishaps.

Another weekend was yet again approaching and Meryl was looking forward to two days of rest and relaxation.

The young woman was collecting her things together at the end of the work day on Friday when she was approached by her boss.

"Ms. Stryfe," he said in a commanding tone.

The woman in question inwardly cringed. The only time her boss used that voice was when you were in trouble or he was going to demand something horrible from you.

In this case it was the latter. He wanted her to stay a few hours after her regular quitting time. Apparently some very important documents hadn't been completed and they were needed by the beginning of the work day tomorrow.

The thought of spending more time at work was not a welcome one, but what really worried her was the walk home afterwards. It would almost be nine o'clock when she ventured for home and the walk from the bus stop to her house would be very dark. There would be no one on the street at that time of night. Most people in her neighborhood usually suspended from staying out so late.

On the other hand, the impression of being watched had not resurfaced since her incident. Maybe it had all been a feeling conjured by her imagination.

Though she would also have to inform Knives and tell him that she wouldn't make it for dinner. It was his turn to cook the meal and she didn't doubt that he'd already prepared the meal and was impatiently waiting for her. She was positive that he would not be too happy that his food was going to go to waste.

'_He shouldn't think that the world revolves around him, though,' _thought the woman with more than a little annoyance.

Her mind made up, Meryl called Knives and condemned herself to several more hours of paperwork.

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The young woman quickly stepped off of the crowded bus four hours later and breathed a sigh of relief. She had forgotten one minor detail when debating whether to stay at work longer or not. The bus routes always ran late into the night, so she had no problems getting to her neighborhood. The problems consisted of about twenty or so drunks who were using the bus system to travel from one bar to the next. When they were kicked out of one saloon for fighting or something or another, they would head for another.

Meryl had never liked the smell of alcohol and those people had absolutely reeked of it. That was definitely the last time she used the transportation system this late at night.

After watching the bus drive out of sight, she started the dark trek to her home. The suns had set long ago and there were no street lamps in this section of the city. The only visible light was that streaming from windows of the homes on either side of the street. Even these were far between and they were slowly being extinguished as people went to bed.

She had been looking at the stars blanketing the sky when the familiar feeling of being watched returned. The insurance lady stopped dead in her tracks and quickly glanced around the surrounding area. As all the times before, the street appeared to be empty of anyone else. Meryl slowly faced the direction of her home again and took a deep, calming breath.

'_There's no one there, Stryfe. It's only your imagination running away with you.'_

She kept repeating this mantra to herself as she strode down the now completely pitch black street. No matter how many times she told herself that there was nothing to be worried about, the nagging fear just wouldn't go away. Her instincts were yelling at her that there was something out there following her. And that something didn't have exactly good intentions.

The silence of the night allowed for her to hear her still rapidly beating heart. Her senses were heightened as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Still, there appeared to be nothing but the feeling of terror. Not a movement was to be seen in the surrounding shadows.

Meryl was just within a block of her home when she began to relax. It appeared that nothing would harm her this night.

An alley was on her left just as she heard the sound of a metal can hitting the dirt on her right. The noise was so sudden and unexpected that she jumped away from it and partially into the alley next to her.

Abruptly an arm came across her waist and a hand over Meryl's mouth before she could utter a sound.

The young woman squirmed and thrashed in the person's hold, but to no success. The individual was much too strong for her.

When she found escape impossible the insurance lady quickly regained her bearings enough to surmise that it was a male that held her captive. Oh how she wished for her derringers! Why couldn't she have worn her other cloak to work today!?

As soon as her struggling ceased the man lifted her completely off the ground against his side and carried her further into the shadows of the alley.

Seeing that any help from another person would be slim if she were in a dark alleyway she began fighting anew. Unfortunately for her, her new attempts at escape also ended in failure.

She was now so deep in the back street that even if a human were to look they wouldn't see her form. Her mind was in panicked by now and her heart thundering in her ears. The little woman's body was flooded with adrenaline that availed her none, the fighting she'd done with it only tiring her out.

The man must have thought they were far enough from the street for he stopped and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Now, pretty lady," he began in a mockingly tender tone, "you'll cooperate with me if you want to walk away from here alive tonight. If you struggle, I might have to resort to violence to get what I want and you wouldn't like that." A small chuckle erupted from the frightening man at his own words.

Meryl felt her stomach heave at his words. Now she knew what it was that he wanted.

This man was going to rape her.

This thought completely froze her body for a moment as the horrible realization set in. Then her instincts kicked in full force. She couldn't let this man have his way with her. Even if he had threatened her with death if she struggled. She had to try to escape, if she didn't a fate almost as bad awaited her.

As she fought, the man was having a difficult time subduing the tiny woman. He finally let go of her only to push her into a wall. The impact dazed her momentarily, but then she swiftly turned and gave him a kick to the stomach. She had aimed lower but he'd moved at the last moment.

This brought her only a short freedom as she had not gone more than a few steps when she was knocked violently to the ground. The impact of the dirt barely registered in her mind when she felt herself being lifted none-to-gently.

Meryl was turned around in the arms that held her again and was face to face with her captor. As he held her, she got her first good look at him. His features were like most other men on the desert planet. His face was worn by the harsh weather and had a gaunt look to it. The dark hairs on his head were brittle-looking and wind blown. The clothing he wore consisted of a worn, button-down shirt and loose-fitting blue jeans.

The man also didn't appear to be too pleased at the moment and was sporting a curled lip and smoldering eyes.

"I warned you, bitch," he growled out, "now I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

At these words he again threw her back against the wall, but this time he held her there with his hands on her forearms. The woman cringed in fear as he brought his face closer to hers. His look held a sick amusement at her terror.

He watched her for a moment before bringing a hand back and striking her across the cheek. The hit itself would have made Meryl see stars, but her head was also a short distance from the wall behind her. This caused her head to slam back and connect with the unforgiving wood with a sharp crack.

Meryl lost consciousness soon after. She didn't even feel the other blows being dealt to her body. The last thing she remembered was seeing, what appeared to be, two blue lights at the entrance to the alley.

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Several hours earlier found a very angry Knives slamming down the phone. He'd not taken Meryl's news well at all.

'_How dare she?!'_ The man screamed in his mind as he stalked over to the set table. _'After all the work I did,' _he seethed, _' that woman had the gall to_ _say she wasn't coming!'_

During his ranting the plant had failed to notice that he been gripping the cooking pot in his hands a bit too hard. The sound of twisting metal jolted him out of his thoughts.

Knives blinked and looked at the damage he'd done. The two handles on either side were now shaped to his hands. He looked at his handiwork in disgust and a hint of amazement. That woman was making him lose his usual cool. There were few times he'd lost his composure to such a degree in his entire life and then it had been his brother, not some lowly human, that was the cause.

With a growl Knives slammed the pot onto the counter, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door. _'Let the woman clean up the mess,'_ he thought spitefully.

Now that he was out of the house he set his feet in the direction of the nearest saloon. Maybe collecting more instances of humanity's imperfections would lighten his mood.

Twenty minutes later Knives was sipping a drink and scrutinizing his surroundings discreetly. He still found that the best way to gather the information he wanted was to probe the humans' minds. The memories of other heinous crimes that these vermin had committed were still embedded in their memories and Knives happily added them to his growing list. The transgression's humans perpetrated were truly disgusting, but only proved further his point that they should be eradicated.

The prostitutes attempting to seduce him (much to his abhorrence) didn't help their case either.

Four hours, five bar fights, and ten prostitutes later the plant was still sitting at the same bar stool.

Knives could honestly say that he was enjoying himself. The humans tonight were practically begging for their doom with all the material he was getting. This would fit well into his journal entry for the day. He'd started keeping a journal to write down all the information he gathered in his excursions. Even an intelligent plant like himself needed to organize his thoughts and writing them down was the best way to do that.

The night was still young and Knives still had high hopes of gaining more damning evidence against the spiders. Even at this moment the cold man was listening in on a conversation between two other patrons at the table nearest him. For the last few minutes they'd been speaking of a serial rapist who had been plaguing the city for a couple months. There had been seven victims, all of whom had been raped and then murdered.

Knives could admit to himself that even he would not sink so low as to rape a female. He wondered what his peace-loving brother would say about people who committed such acts.

The man began to ignore the human's conversation, thinking that he'd gained all the knowledge he could, when a comment caught his ear. The men were discussing a rumor that there had been a shady character prowling around the northwest part of the residential district of the city.

The plant's eyes widened at that simple statement. The area they were talking about was where Meryl's home was located. Having attracted his attention, Knives listened in on their conversation with an eager ear. It would do him no good to have the woman getting herself involved in any life-threatening situations.

The two people continued to speak of how a few women had been stalked by an unknown assailant. "Usually," one of the men joked, taking sick amusement in others' fears, "the women would end up running out of shear terror for the closest home they could find. Apparently they'd bang on the door and scream like a banshee to be let in."

Both men laughed at these words, but Knives paid them no heed. He was too busy thinking of a similar incident that he had witnessed only days before, when he'd found Meryl on the floor, out of breath and a terrified look on her face. A sudden feeling of dread clenched his heart and somehow he KNEW that Meryl was in trouble.

Without wasting a moment he deposited the money for his drink and rushed out of the bar. He didn't care that as soon as he left the building he took off at a run. The only thought flowing through his mind was that the short woman was in desperate need of assistance.

The distance between the saloon and his current residence that had earlier taken him twenty minutes to cross, was easily covered in ten with his long strides. He quickly glanced at his watch as he unlocked and opened the door. It was already passed ten at night, if his instincts were wrong then she should be home by now.

It was a habit that Knives had recognized that Meryl would never stay at work passed nine in the evening. Even when she'd worked at the saloon at their previous lodgings Meryl would always come home at this hour.

Back in the present a very real feeling of panic was beginning to form as Knives glanced where her cloak and boots were usually placed in the hall. Neither were there. With a few hurried steps he walked into the living room and glanced into the kitchen, only to see that his mess had not been cleared. Meryl ALWAYS picked up after him, even if she did complain about it.

Not wasting any more time, he quickly called out her name and, receiving no response, quickly dashed through the rest of the house. It soon became blatantly apparent that he had been the last in the building and his blood ran cold at the thought.

He was almost on the verge of hyperventilating when he stopped in the living room to gather his scattered thoughts. Blind panic was not going to help in this situation. So now he used the plant brain that he was so proud of to plan his next move. As it was obvious Meryl had not even made it home, then the next logical place to check would be the route from here to the bus stop.

His mind made up, the man sprang into action and again took off into the night. This time he kept his pace at a slow jog. The instincts that were still telling him that she was in danger urged him to run faster, but common sense told the plant that there was a greater chance of missing something vital if he were to do so.

As he was moving, Knives opened his mind, reaching out for any human minds in the vicinity. He might not have been able to find Meryl, but he could locate her if she was with someone.

For a few moments he only picked up the mind waves of the humans in the nearby buildings. Then, as he was passing by an inconspicuous alley his mind probes picked up the thoughts of a human male.

He slowly crept toward the entrance to the back street, being careful not to make a sound. Knives was still winded from his run, and was silently gasping as he flattened himself against the wall next to one of the buildings forming the black passageway. The man then craned his neck and took a look into the darkness.

At first glance even his eyes couldn't make out anything, but his senses told him otherwise and he continued to peer down the lane until he made out two figures.

It only took him a second to recognize the white cape and small stature as being Meryl's. The other appeared figure was most definitely a man's, what with the broad shoulders and muscular body.

As he was perusing the scene, he heard Meryl call out a cry of pain and saw that the small woman had been thrown ruthlessly against a wall.

For a moment Knives was stunned, but then anger and rage like he'd never felt before blossomed in his chest and it grew ever larger as the man began to beat Meryl savagely.

Knives was so overrun by these feelings that before he knew it his legs had carried him to stand in the alley entrance with his gun poised at the man's head.

He didn't realize that his eyes were glowing a bright blue or that the air was becoming heavy with the energy coming off of his plant body.

The rapist was just bending over Meryl's unconscious body when the most chilling voice he'd ever heard, broke the silence.

"Don't you dare touch her, filth."

Said man quickly shot up to his feet, only to stifle a scream of terror that fought its way from his throat. Before him was standing a demon, it just had to be. He'd never seen such a horrifying sight in all his years.

He could make out the body of a man, but the glowing eyes and what appeared to be flashes of electricity around his body gave one the impression of a hell-born deity.

The man started backing up slowly, hoping to make an escape, when the creature disappeared right before his eyes. His eyes widened in surprise and then horror as the demon reappeared right in front of him.

With a scream of fright the man fell backwards as a heavy blow was delivered to his jaw. The crack from the impact resounded in the night and it was certain that the bone was broken.

"You take pleasure in forcing yourself upon women and then murdering them." The figure stated more than asked.

With a broken jaw the man could do little more than groan in pain and attempt to crawl away from the demon.

But Knives was not done with him yet, and soon the murderer found himself pinned to the wall by the furious plant. What followed after that was a series of blows to the human's body and soon he was completely unconscious on the ground from the many injuries.

He would live, but only just barely. Even in his utmost rage Knives hadn't forgotten his promise to his brother, and he never broke his promises.

Turning to the still out Meryl, his still glowing eyes checked her body for injuries. She had a lot of cuts and bruises, but none were anything to worry about. Her head, on the other hand, was cause for concern. He cautiously lifted her body until she was leaning against him so he could get a good look at the wound.

Knives slowly brushed aside her hair, surprising himself with how gentle he was being, and examined the bleeding lump on the back of her head. From the looks of it she could have a major concussion, though he needed to get her home so he could get a better look at it.

Unfortunately, before he could carry her back to the house a bright light suddenly lit of the alley and Knives squinted as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Everyone, freeze!" came a loud barking order.

Knives immediately recognized the phrase and cursed his luck. The police were not who he wanted to deal with right now, especially with all the unconscious bodies lying around.

Soon the officer with the flashlight and another behind him, strolled down the alley with their guns drawn and pointed at Knives, who was the only threat at the moment.

"What happened here?" questioned the policeman with the flashlight as he gazed on the scene.

Knives debated on what to tell them, but finally decided that the truth was the best at the moment. So he informed them that the young woman was an acquaintance of his and he had become worried for her safety when she didn't return home. Then he told the officers what he had seen when he had found her and that he believed this man to be the notorious rapist. Knives brushed over the details of his beating the other man half to death by saying that the rapist had attacked him and he had only acted in self-defense.

After the narrative the two men looked dubiously at each other and then stated that all of them would have to come down to headquarters to sort this thing out. Though they must have believed him for the most part because they deposited their weapons in their holsters. The plant was not pleased and informed the men that the young woman needed medical attention. They answered that she would receive the help she needed at the station and reluctantly Knives rose to his feet with Meryl in his arms. Knives was in no mood for further conflict and simply agreed to their terms to avoid such a situation.

He watched as one of the men called in the incident while the other walked over to the rapist and examined him.

Soon more officers arrived and Knives was ushered into a police car with the young woman in his arms.

'_What a night'_ thought the plant as the car sped off into the city.


	7. Caretaker

A/N: Hello to all who read this. I know I usually take months (beta: -snort- so long it's in the archives) to get out a new chapter, but I've been in a writing mood lately, so here is a new chapter for everyone! However, I have no idea when my next chapter will be written. Finals are here for me (GAH!), but I could procrastinate and work on this story instead (very likely with me). Thanks to the people who reviewed, I love ya'!

Disclaimer: Not in this lifetime...

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Chapter 7: Caretaker

It took no more than a half hour for the car to reach the police headquarters of December City.

On the way there Knives had checked over Meryl's head wound again. By now her injury was swollen and checking over again, he came to the conclusion that she had a minor concussion.

He was somewhat agitated over the fact that she had not yet awakened, but he surmised that the stress and shock from the encounter were what caused her to remain unconscious so long.

The door to the car was opened and Knives alighted with Meryl still in his arms. For some inexplicable reason he was loathe to let the young woman go, though that could be because he did not trust her fellow homo-sapiens at the moment. One had tried to rape her only an hour before, after all.

As soon as Knives was out of the vehicle he was flanked by two police officers. It appeared that he was still a suspect in the eyes of the law enforcers.

These two men were joined by a third who asked the plant to follow him. They entered the building and walked down the pristine white hallways.

At this time of night there were not as many people working and most of the desks were unoccupied. After a short walk Knives found himself in the infirmary of the station, where a man, who appeared to be a doctor, awaited them.

The police must have thought that any interrogations could wait until Meryl's state of health could be checked. The doctor introduced himself as Dr. Bartlett and motioned for Knives to set the young lady on one of the beds in the room. He then stepped forward to begin examining her. Knives decided that he could save the person the time and told him of her condition.

"She has a concussion." He stated with certainty as he stood next to the bed. The doctor stared at him with a raised eyebrow as the plant made the young woman more comfortable on the furniture.

"You sound sure of it, young fellow," he said with suspicion, as if accusing Knives of having inflicted the wounds himself. "How are you so familiar with her injuries?"

Knives barely spared the physician a glance before returning his attention to the female on the bed. "I know a few things of human anatomy," was the only answer he gave. His words were hinting at something darker, but also indicated that he wasn't willing to divulge anything else.

The human took the cue and did not question him further.

After his conversation with the doctor had ended, one of the officers who had led him through the building came forward. "If you would please come with us, sir," he asked civilly, "There are a few questions we would like to ask you."

The weary man was in no mood to deal with humans, but he realized that to resist in any way would not improve his current situation. Thus, he allowed the men to lead him out of the room and down another corridor.

They soon came to a door that was opened for him. Stepping into the space showed it to be the typical interrogation room with a single table and two chairs being the only furniture. The officers quickly got down to business and once he was seated they questioned him, in detail, about the occurrences in the alley.

Knives answered the same way that he had before, that the woman was only an acquaintance and that he was rooming with her for a limited time. He had become suspicious of her absence and he had gone to look for her. Finding her in a vulnerable position, he had knocked out her attempted rapist and was just checking her injuries when the police arrived.

He spoke with such a calm and assured air that the men questioning him were inclined to believe him. However, the policemen had a job to do and until they had proof of what this man said was true, they would have to treat him as a suspect.

So when he had finished his statement, the officer in charge asked him to remain where he was until they could get the situation sorted out. In other words, he would stay in that room until Meryl awoke. Her testimony would be the defining factor in this case.

Knives was highly uncomfortable with the thought of waiting for a human to prove his innocence. He found it degrading and insulting for a being such as himself. Nevertheless, he did not put up a fight and silently sat there, seething.

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While Knives was being interrogated, Meryl was slowly regaining consciousness in the police headquarters infirmary.

The first thing the insurance lady felt upon waking was a splitting headache. It felt as if there were a herd of tomas running around in her head. Also, her entire body felt battered and bruised.

'_What in the world happened to me?' _She questioned herself in confusion.

With that one thought everything that had happened that evening came rushing back, causing her to bolt up in bed. She clenched her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and groaned in pain. It felt like the number of the tomas had doubled and the aches and pains in her body had become more pronounced.

The feeling of someone abruptly grabbing her shoulders caused her to flinch in fright and utter a piercing scream that echoed throughout the station.

"Calm down, young lady." A gentle and calming voice said.

Meryl stopped thrashing against the arms that held her and glanced around herself. No longer was she in the dark alley, now she appeared to be in a medical ward.

Questions flew through her head and she turned to the only person in the room for answers. He appeared to be a doctor and she hoped he could explain to her what had occurred after she lost consciousness.

"What happened?" she asked in a shaky voice, "Where am I?"

The doctor smiled reassuringly, let go of her, and sat on a chair next to the bed she was occupying. "There's no reason to panic, miss, you're safe now. You're at the December police headquarters." He answered, "I'm afraid I don't know the whole story, but I can assure you that there is no permanent damage done to you. Only some cuts, bruises, and a small concussion."

Meryl let out a breath she'd been holding at his words. She had been afraid the rapist had succeeded in his attempt.

"By the way," he added as he gave her another small smile, "the name's John Bartlett, I'm the resident doctor. So how are you feeling?"

Just as she was about to answer the door opened and a few men in police uniforms entered. They strode toward her and the doctor and she found herself cringing away from them. She might have felt comfortable in the physician's presence, he seemed to exude an aura that calmed her, but with all of these new gentlemen she found an indescribable fear welling inside of her.

The doctor seemed to have noticed this and quickly stood to block the mens' path toward Meryl.

"Excuse us, Doc," one of the policemen said, trying to go around the man. "We gotta ask the young lady a few questions about the incident."

"Couldn't it wait?" he asked seriously, "she has had a rough encounter and right now she won't want to be around so many males."

The officers' faces dawned with comprehension, but they kept steadfast to their purpose. "Sorry, but this needs to be done right now, she could forget important details later." The tone was apologetic, but also decisive.

The doctor sighed and asked if maybe only one of them could question the young lady. The less people the better for her state of mind and he would stay with her, since she seemed to be comfortable in his attendance.

They agreed and soon it was only the victim and two men.

During their discussion Meryl had tried to compose herself as much as possible for upcoming questioning. But she still felt uneasy being around another male besides the doctor.

As the officer sat in another chair beside her bed, he introduced himself as Michael Erickson. He typically dealt with rape cases and had been assigned to hers for that reason.

For his first round of questions he asked for her personal information, like her name and where she lived. Then he moved onto asking what had occurred in the alley.

Meryl felt highly uncomfortable repeating the events, she was still frightened over what had happened and did not wish to relieve the memories. But the officer and doctor encouraged her to, saying that it would begin the healing process. So she slowly recounted everything that had happened last night, pausing at some particularly terrifying parts that caused her to shudder in remembrance.

After a half hour of talking she finally came to the part when she lost consciousness and wearily held her head in her hands. For the next few minutes there was silence, only broken by the writing of Michael's pencil on his notepad.

When he was done, he leaned back in his chair and asked another question, one that to Meryl had nothing to do with her case. "Do you live alone?"

She gave him a quizzical look and answered, "No. I have a guest staying in my home for a few months." She became suspicious of why he had asked that question. Could Knives have done something while she was being assaulted? Was half of December in rubble? "Why do you ask?" she inquired back at him.

The man looked up from the notes he was taking again, leaned back in his chair, and pursed his lips together in indecision. "I suppose," he said slowly, "there is no harm in telling you. This case is pretty much closed now with the testimonies you and he have given anyway."

Meryl's face scrunched up in confusion. "He? Who else has given a testimony besides me?"

The officer gave her a small smile of amusement, it was apparent the woman had no idea who had saved her life. "The man who's living with you, Knives Millions is his name, is the other."

Now Meryl was completely baffled. Why would they need Knives to make a statement?

"Miss Stryfe," he continued to get her attention, "that man is the one who saved you from certain death. He came upon you in that alley and beat the rapist to unconsciousness. Did a right fine job, too." He added with a grin. As far as Officer Erickson was concerned, the lowlife had deserved it, and more.

While he was laughing at the thrashing Knives had given, Meryl was just sitting on the bed, jaw hanging and eyes staring straight ahead. _Knives _had rescued her? Of all the people to have saved her he had to have been the last on her list.

"Are you all right, Miss Stryfe?" John's voice broke the young woman out of her stupor and she turned her attention to the doctor.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit surprised is all," she answered dazedly.

The doctor nodded and abruptly rose along with the officer. "I think it's best if you lay down and rest, Miss Stryfe. You've been through a terrible ordeal and having to relive it again puts quite a strain on a person." This said the Dr. Bartlett assisted her to lie down while the officer thanked her for her help and left.

The physician walked over to a counter and came back with two pills and a glass of water. "Here," he said, indicating the pills, "these will calm your nerves and help you get to sleep faster."

She took the medication, used the water to wash them down, and settled into her temporary bed. The thought that Knives had saved her was still disturbing her, but the pills did their job and soon she was fast asleep.

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Meryl had no idea how long she slept, but when she next awakened there was a very irritated plant sitting in the chair next to her bed. Her head still ached and the rest of her body was sore, but it have been worse. She could be dead. The young woman cautiously sat up in the bed, careful of her injuries, and stared at the man who she owed her life to. He'd been looking at her at least since she awoke and she wondered if he'd watched her sleep.

Strange that of all people whom she should have feared, she felt no terror toward him like she had the police officers . . .

They simply stared at one another for a few moments until she broke their staring contest and looked down at the hands folded in her lap. If what that officer said was true, she now owed her life to humanity's greatest enemy. But no matter who he was, he deserved her thanks.

So she looked upon him once again and steeled herself for the words she needed to say. He probably wouldn't care if she thanked him or not, but she was going to do it anyway. She cleared her throat and began her speech.

"Thank you, Knives. The officer told me you were the one to rescue me. You didn't have to save me, but you did. So," she hesitated, wondering how he was taking her heartfelt appreciation, "thanks."

Knives said nothing and gazed back for a few seconds, like he was trying to determine if she meant her words. Then he spoke. "Foolish woman," he reprimanded in a clipped voice, though lacking his usual frigid tone, "I do not take my promises lightly."

"Promises?" she questioned softly, mindful of her still throbbing head.

Knives glanced away and shifted in his chair. From his body language the young woman guessed he was uncomfortable with answering her question. The man said nothing for a long moment, just seeming to stare at some random object. Meryl was beginning to wonder if he was going to reply when he suddenly ceased all movement and gave her a piercing glare.

"That brother of mine was worrying himself sick over your safety." At this he released a sigh of annoyance. His brother could get so emotional sometimes. "He feared that bounty hunters would come after you because of your relationship with him. I doubt he ever thought that a human male would attempt to rape you, but nonetheless, he wished for you to be protected."

Meryl absorbed what Knives said and looked at him disbelievingly when she came to the obvious conclusion. "Your brother enlisted _you_ to protect me?" _'That broomhead,'_ she thought angrily.

If the maniac hadn't already proven that he would abide by his brother's wishes, she would have informed the spikey-headed idiot that was one of the worst ideas he'd ever come up with.

Unfortunately, the human-hater had been able to keep his promise, though right now she was wishing that he hadn't have gotten the chance. The aches and pains in her body would no doubt annoy her for quite a few weeks.

For his part Knives looked disgusted when she stated what his brother had asked him to do. He wanted no part in being the body guard for a human, but his brother had gone so far as to beg Knives to look out for the petite woman. The incessant whining had eventually broken down his resistance and he agreed, if only to placate the buffoon.

As the two were deep in their own thoughts, both of which amazingly were on the same subject, the idiot known as Vash the Stampede, Dr. Bartlett strolled into the room.

"And how's my patient?" He asked in a cheerful voice.

Meryl answered him with a smile and a small 'fine'.

Knives huffed at her answer, clearly not believing her, stood, and walked to the nearest wall. He situated himself by leaning against it and crossing his arms and legs. He'd had more than enough of humans to last him for the rest of his life and did not wish to hear the doctor babble with the woman.

As John was checking her head wound Meryl asked him a question that had been bugging her. "When did he arrive?"

She was clearly indicating Knives and the doctor said, "Not too long after you fell asleep actually. He was originally suspected in your beating, but your testimony proved his innocence so they let him go." He sniggered at his next words. "He came straight here and hasn't left your side since. I doubt rabid tomas could have torn him away."

Knives must have heard the last part of the doctor's words for he sent a murderous glare his way.

Said person ignored the eyes attempting to burn through his head and finished bandaging Meryl's head wound. "Now Miss Stryfe," he began in an authoritarian voice, "I'm going to give you orders about how you're going to conduct yourself for the next few weeks and I expect you to follow them to the letter."

Meryl hesitantly nodded her head in understanding, suspecting that she wouldn't like what he was going to say next.

"Good." He nodded approvingly. "So you'll have to take off about two weeks of work and I suggest you stay at home and in bed. Your injuries will heal much faster that way."

An indignant cry rose from the young woman. There was no way she could take that much time off work! The paperwork would be through the roof when she returned! She made an attempt at a compromise, but the doctor would hear none of it. For the next few weeks she would be bored to death.

The doctor examined her dejected look, but he knew that it was for the best and told her so. At her snort he explained to her why he was making her take such a long leave of absence. "Your physical wounds aren't the only ones you need to heal from," he stated with certainty. "You've been through a great amount of mental stress and being around a large amount of people will not help. Especially," he pointed out, "males."

Meryl was still not happy with arrangement, but she understood his reasoning. Three police officers had freaked her out. What would if she were to meet three random men on the street?

In his little corner Knives had overheard everything and was inwardly groaning as he remembered a book he'd read about the after-affects of an attempted rape. The strain would typically not be as strong as if the act had actually occurred, but there would still be some mental anguish.

Females would also especially be skittish around males for a period of time. It looked as if he wouldn't have any troubles, though. She didn't seem to have any fear of him, not that that thought brought him any joy.

He was the apocalypse of the human race, after all. She had every reason to be afraid of him, but she wasn't, and he couldn't figure out why. Oh well, something for him to ponder on. He'd have two full weeks to study her and figure it out anyway.

"Also, Miss Stryfe," the doctor added, "the concussion you received from that head wound could cause you some problems. Nothing major, mind you, but you could experience some dizzy spells and lightheadedness. So I suggest you don't try to cook and be careful when you bathe."

"So you're saying that I'll practically be an invalid for the next few weeks?" Meryl asked to make sure she'd heard correctly. It certainly wasn't a prospect that she was looking forward to.

"I'm afraid so, Miss Stryfe," came the unwanted answer. "But look on the bright side," he said in an attempt to cheer her up, "at least you have a roommate to keep care of you."

For the first few seconds the room was filled with dead silence. Then there came hysterical laughter from the patient and what sounded like a growl from said roommate. Dr. Bartlett was looking between the two in puzzlement, not knowing what had warranted their actions.

After a full minute of laughing Meryl was able to compose herself and wiped away the tears that had fallen during her fit. "Excuse me, doctor, for my behavior, but I believe that I can keep care of myself."

The doctor turned his full attention toward her and stated with the utmost seriousness, "That is not a good idea, Miss Stryfe. You've been through a serious trauma and both your body and mind are suffering the consequences. Either you are cared for by someone you know or," he paused to make sure she was listening, "I hospitalize you."

Meryl felt her temper getting the better of her at his words. She was a grown adult, not a child! "But I don't have anyone who could care for me . . . and I am not going to a hospital!" she added angrily. She was right, there were her coworkers, but most of them would most likely volunteer just to be around Knives. No doubt leaving her to fend for herself anyway.

"I'm sorry, but those are your only two choices." He gave her a pitying look, but he was not going to allow a patient of his to endanger themselves.

"I'll do it," came a very disgruntled voice from across the room.

The other two people swerved their heads and stared at him, the smaller one in shock and the other with a knowing smirk. The doctor straightened his smile and addressed the plant in a stern tone.

"You can assure me that you will treat her in the utmost care and not shirk your duties?" It was a simple question, but Knives did not miss the underlying meaning.

He scowled at the human and said, "I always give my best in anything I do." His voice, while cool and harsh, held the utmost sincerity. The doctor gave an approving nod to him and turned back to the young lady.

"Well," he said with a bright smile, "it appears I leave you in capable hands."

Knives smirked and Meryl suppressed the urge to scream in terror.


	8. Playing Doctor

A/N: I know it's been awhile since I last updated...I'm really sorry! I would give an excuse, but I've thought of so many, I can't seem to pick just one. So, I hope you enjoy this new chapter and a thank you to everyone who reviewed!

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Chapter 8: Playing Doctor

Meryl was nothing short of petrified. The killer of millions and self-proclaimed apocalypses of mankind was now her caretaker. He was supposed to make sure she was taken care of properly.

She was undeniably doomed.

Shortly after the doctor announced that she would be in Knives' care, he set about making sure that all the necessary paperwork was done. An hour and a few signatures later, the invalid and her nurse were heading out of the police station.

One of the police officers drove them back to their shared house and soon they were stepping through the door of the home.

By this time it was the middle of the next day and neither could say that they'd had a restful sleep in more than twenty-four hours. Therefore, the next thing that both parties did was to change into appropriate attire and crawl into their beds. As soon as their heads hit the pillow they were out for the rest of the day and woke up the next morning.

Even Knives' body, with the plant stamina he was so proud of, felt the need to recuperate the entire day.

When the next day dawned bright and early the plant was awakened by the sound, and smell, of a coffee pot brewing. He lay there for a second before the memories of the last few days kicked in. He groaned and buried his face into his pillow. That women had almost been raped and he'd been the one to save her. Strangely, he'd lost all control over himself when he'd seen what was happening in the alley. The sight of her being carelessly tossed against a wall, and then savagely beaten, had angered him past rational thought and he'd reacted on pure instinct.

The man could not honestly remember any time in his long life when he'd acted in such a manor. Certainly he'd gotten angry in his life. He'd even shot off his brother's arm and tried to kill him, but during the entire encounters he'd remained completely aware of his actions. That night in the alley was hazy in his memory, the only things that were distinct were the red anger and . . . a sense of protectiveness?

Knives shook his head at that thought. There was no way he could harbor any sort of affectionate feeling for the woman. His brother had placed an obligation on him and he was only carrying it out, that was the only reason for saving her worthless hide. He certainly didn't like her. She was human after all, and humans were parasites that sucked off of his enslaved sisters. Just because she was compassionate, open-minded, smart, beautiful-. The plant did a double take at his own thoughts. Did he just call that annoying creature beautiful? _'I must be coming down with something,'_ came a distracted thought.

Several seconds of stunned silence were interrupted by another noise from the kitchen. The sounds jolted him back into reality. He put aside the disturbing thoughts he'd been having, and focused on his current situation.

Yesterday he'd volunteered to take care of the human currently moving about in the kitchen. He had a very specific reason to do this. To him, caring for her was just another opportunity to collect more information on the human race.

He'd originally not wished to use her in any of his experiments. She might have had a bad temper, but her overall personality was not what he was looking for. He could admit to himself, through all the time he'd been with her, Meryl was the exemplary person that his brother insisted made up the human race.

But now he had a chance to put to the test even the best of humanity. As Knives saw it, any regular human would take advantage of such a situation the woman was in, being cared for by another being, and use them to do every menial task imaginable.

The blonde believed that Meryl would try to turn him into her own personal slave, to use him to fetch her drinks, pillows, and the like. He could almost picture her using a bell to call him to her side. Such material would be an invaluable asset to his already long list of human faults.

Not long after Knives was up and walking the halls of the small house.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he found the woman leaning against the counter with her usual cup of coffee in hand. Meryl was staring into the cup, her eyes unfocused and appearing to be deep in thought.

He walked up to her, and she seemed to not notice him at all. The plant reached out and grabbed his own cup and filled it with some of the brew. At the slight noise of his actions the young woman jumped slightly, confirming his suspicions that she hadn't even known he was in the room.

The man raised a questioning eyebrow at her behavior. She blushed at her actions, embarrassed, and turned to get another cup at the machine, turning her back on him to hide her red face.

The quiet kitchen held a nervous type of tension in the air. Not liking it at all, Knives decided to start the conversation he'd planned on giving.

"I have been left in charge of you," he started, "though I abhor the thought of taking care of a measly human such as you, I will fulfill my duty." He waited a moment to see that she was paying attention to him

"As such," he continued in an authoritative voice, "you will do as I tell you. There will be no arguments from your person. You are the one in my care and I know what is best for you."

Knives stopped talking and stood there for a moment, expecting the small woman to start lashing out at him. Her usual temperament would have her getting furious and challenging all the things he'd told her.

When no harsh words came his way, only a small nod of her head in understanding, he found himself scowling at her behavior. Where was the usual spitfire he was so used to? By now they would have been in the middle of a heated argument, each throwing witty retorts at the other. But the woman across the kitchen from him was not the same one he knew, and Knives found that he hated the way she was acting.

He knew why she was behaving so strangely, though. Her experience from the alley was finally catching up to her. Earlier she'd been in shock and now that it had worn off, she was feeling the aftereffects of an attempted rape.

In an attempt to goad her, he continued to set down his law.

"There will be certain rules that you must abide by," he continued, speaking like a military commander. "The first rule is: you are to do absolutely no work."

At that statement Meryl's head shot up and she had an incredulous look on her face. To not be able to do work during her time of convalescence? Was he serious? She surely hoped not. Meryl positively knew that she would be bored to death if she wasn't able to get at least some work done.

Just in case, the young woman decided to make sure her hearing wasn't among the list of injuries she'd received. "That's funny Knives. I could have sworn that you said I wouldn't be allowed to do any paperwork."

At his stern look she knew that she'd heard correctly. Apparently the man was serious in not letting her do any insurance claim papers. But who did he think he was, ordering her around like he was some type of dictator or something?

While Meryl fumed over what she thought of as an injustice, Knives was silently congratulating himself on another job well done. He'd gone out to return the woman to her usual bad-tempered mood and he'd succeeded fully. Now that he'd gotten her back to her normal self, all he had left to do was assert his role as her guardian. In his mind that meant that the human female was to do exactly as he told her, when he told her.

"You will not fight me in this, woman. I have been given full authority over you and unless you wish to be sent to a hospital . . . " his let his sentence drift off as he gave her time to think on what her choices were. The plant knew that in her mind she only had one choice, so he waited back while she figured that out as well.

After a minute of deliberating with herself, weighing her alternatives and trying to decide which was the worst one, she gave a huff and turned her back to him.

He took that as her sign that she would behave, or at least as well as she always did, and changed the topic of the conversation to more important matters. Knives had noticed something when he'd entered the room and decided to assert his dominance in another area of her life, besides the no working rule he'd already established.

"I see you've already taken a shower," he commented offhandedly.

She looked back at him over her shoulder with an annoyed look on her face. "Of course. I always take a shower before I eat breakfast." Then she commented in a dry tone, "You'd know that if you actually got up in the mornings, instead of sleeping in so late."

"I see no reason to rise at an early hour for nothing," was his retort. Knives was still irritated over her getting up so early in the morning, every morning. When she rose he'd always be woken up by the noise she made because he was a light sleeper.

"I'm sorry," she said in a deceptively sweet voice. Then she growled out, "Some of us actually have work to do!"

This was a common argument between the two. Meryl would always grouch about how he didn't have a job or do any work around the house, unless it was the dishes. He always had to have clean dishes when cooking. He always used the 'I-hate-humans' speech to reason for his lack of a job. The plant stated, very firmly, that he would never tolerate working in the same environment as 'the filth'.

A frown appeared on his face as the argument continued. This wasn't where he had wanted to take the conversation. He was supposed to be displaying his dominance, not getting chewed out by an irate human female.

In a sudden change of conversation, and to cease the oncoming lecture, he stated, "You are not to bathe without my supervision."

That caught the young woman's attention in mid-rant. Her mouth fell open in shock as she registered his words. The only articulate sound she could get out was, "Eh?"

"I said," he clarified, "that any bathing you do is to be overseen by me."

Knives could freely admit that he was having fun baiting the woman. She actually thought that he would be at all interested in a female of the race he despised? Not in this century. Thinking that maybe if her face got any redder, she'd explode, Knives explained his words further.

"You have no reason to worry, woman. I have no intentions of infringing on your modesty. I merely wish to know when you are to cleanse yourself," he informed her. "Like I would ever have the wish to look upon any of your race so," he added with a derisive sniff.

Meryl breathed a sigh of relief as he said those words. Even though she felt like throttling him for that final say, she was also grateful that Knives wasn't like some of the perverts found in human society. But the insurance lady was curious as to why he wanted to know when she bathed . . .

She must have had a curious look on her face because Knives spoke again. "Humans are so forgetful," he commented. "The doctor warned of you having dizzy spells and lightheadedness, remember?"

Meryl hadn't, actually. The threat of being hospitalized had knocked it right out of her mind.

She cleared her throat in an embarrassed cough as her cheeks turned a faint shade of red. "It kind of slipped my mind," she admitted sheepishly.

He sniffed derisively at her. "Further reason for me to be fully in charge of your person. It is obvious that you are not working at even your normal level of intelligence."

She grimaced at his comment, realizing the small truth within the harsh words. The incident was still fresh in the young woman's mind, easily causing her to become unfocused and agitated.

"Fine, Knives," she sighed. "I'll go with your rules for now, but you'd better not try anything funny!" The volatile insurance lady warned.

"I assure you, I won't try anything 'funny'," he assured her with a smirk.

Somehow, she didn't believe him . . .

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For Meryl, the next few days were of regaining health and extreme boredom. She found that sleep came more often than usual for her. For a few days the usually energetic woman was taking up most of the hours with sleeping.

Not being able to do any work whatsoever, though, was causing her a different type of illness. Chronic boredom.

But as per their agreement she had been obedient, albeit grudgingly, toward Knives' orders.

For his part, the plant had been acting stranger than normal, or at least for him. She could understand him taking his responsibilities seriously, but not even Meryl could have predicted this level of dedication.

He insisted on knowing her every action. The insurance girl felt like he was always eyeing her, maybe for any sign of dizzy spells or some sort of symptom from the incident, but for some reason she doubted it.

Instead of them taking turns cooking, he always made the meals, not that she minded overmuch. He was a good cook, after all.

All of the household chores, which she regularly did, where also done by him. He practically did everything that could be constituted as work.

Meryl thought that he would have grumbled about doing everything himself, like he usually would, but there wasn't a single complaint out of that man's mouth.

She wondered why he was acting so odd. Knives acted as if he was getting something out of all that work, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what.

The young woman really started to worry about what was left of his sanity when he gave her a bell and told her to call him anytime she needed something. At first, she'd looked at him disbelievingly as he held out the object to her. After shaking herself out of the daze, she'd politely declined his offer.

Meryl had never believed herself weak enough to need someone to wait on her hand and foot! Also, the patient had a funny feeling about that bell, like it held more significance than he was letting on.

He insisted that she take it, but she sternly held to her decision. A few minutes of arguing ensued until Knives finally grabbed one of her hands, placed the bell firmly in it, and closed her palm over the object.

She'd been so surprised he'd touched her, that Meryl let him do it without putting up any resistance. For his part, Knives had quickly released the appendage once the bell was secured, and abruptly left the room before she could try and give it back.

Of course she hadn't used the thing at all, something Knives seemed miffed about.

Things continued in this way for almost a week. Meryl recovered and Knives played the part of drill sergeant. But that was when the stubborn insurance girl met the end of her patience.

She knew that she'd agreed to obey Knives' every command, but Meryl Stryfe was never one to be ordered around by anyone. Especially not an arrogant and genocidal plant known as Knives Millions.

So the young woman disobeyed one of the first rules he'd placed upon her. She took a shower without telling him. Meryl thought she could get away with it. He hadn't been home when she had started her grooming session. She hadn't expected him home so soon. She was wrong.

The plant arrived right after she'd gotten in the shower. Coming through the front door, he'd automatically heard the sound of running water. His first thought was to thoroughly throttle the woman for disobeying him.

Trying to maintain his usual calm and cold composure, he set the bags of groceries he'd just gotten on the kitchen counter, and calmly stalked over to the bathroom.

His first knock on the door shook the bathroom mirror.

When there was no immediate reaction, like the water being turned off, he knocked on the poor door again. This time he left a dent in the wood.

As pounding wasn't working, the now very angry plant resorted to the yelling method to get her attention.

"Damn it, woman! Just what in hell do you think you're doing!?"

At this point in time Knives didn't care that he'd lost any resemblance of his usually composed self. The human was still not answering his attempts to get her attention and a sudden thought hit him. _'What if she's had one of those fainting attacks?'_ he thought to himself.

His rage suddenly disappeared and was replaced with an overwhelming sense of fear and panic. Knives didn't even give a thought as to why he should be afraid for the life of a human. Instead, he instantly grabbed hold of the door handle and jerked hard on it. With his strength, it only took a few tugs for the entire knob to break off of the door with a loud splintering of wood.

In a heartbeat, he was in the room and stopped dead in his tracks, eyes and mouth wide open.

Meryl wasn't drowning, as he had feared. In fact, the young woman was just fine and blissfully unaware that her privacy had just been invaded in a very large way.

The woman was also completely naked, as was very apparent because the shower curtain had not been drawn.

Not ever having seen a woman's naked body, at least not in the flesh, Knives found himself unable to tear his eyes away. He had a profile view of her, with water streaming down her perfectly shaped body. The male virgin felt a strange reaction rise within him as well. Before he had time to consider the feeling further, his object of study finally noticed that she had a captive audience.

Meryl had been enjoying a very relaxing shower this entire time. The hot water felt very soothing on her still-sore body and she'd resolved herself to having a long soak. Though, there were a few times when her unwinding had been interrupted. She could have sworn that she'd heard Knives' voice a few times, but chalked it up to her imagination. Of course she'd be hearing it, she'd been listening to that man's voice nonstop for the past few days.

The shower noise was loud, but soothing, and she drifted as she stood there under the water. During that drifting, and with the noise of the shower, she'd never even heard anything that had been going on around her. That is, until she got a funny feeling. The same one that she'd had when that stalker had been watching her.

She'd snapped her eyes open at that thought and quickly turned her head toward the door. What she found standing there was the last thing she'd ever expected to see. Knives stood in the middle of the bathroom, eyes wide and unblinking, staring at her. For a few moments all she did was stare back. Then she'd rapidly grabbled hold of the shower curtain to try and cover herself and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Knives had seen her grow ridged right before the woman had opened her eyes and looked straight his way. His usually quick brain had been gone at the moment and he'd only been able to stare right back at her. When she'd screamed, it seemed to knock him back to his senses and he swiftly fled from the room, forgetting all about his anger, and leaving a very flustered Meryl in his wake.


	9. Healing

A/N: Another chapter for all my kind reviewers. I've been in such a writing mood lately that this one took no time at all to write. Not sure how long the writing spree will last, but I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can. Until then, enjoy!

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Chapter 9: Healing

The night after the shower incident, Meryl was sitting in her bed. She was getting ready to sleep, so she was only wearing her nightshirt. The insurance girl was still thinking over the event in the bathroom.

Just remembering it brought a blush to her face! Meryl couldn't believe that Knives, of all people had seen her naked! That was undoubtedly one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

Since then she hadn't seen him, either. After he'd practically ran out of the bathroom she had quickly gotten out of the shower and put some clothes on. Meryl had expected to find him in the kitchen acting as if nothing had happened, but even as dinner came and went, he still hadn't left his room.

She'd heard his door slam after he'd fled the scene and guessed he was still inside. Though why he continued to hide out in his was beyond her.

The young woman was pondering his odd behavior when she heard a knock on her door.

Obviously it could be only one person wanting into her room, so she pulled the covers up around herself and said, "Come in."

Knives wasted no time and immediately entered her room when she gave her permission. He quietly shut the door behind himself and strode over to her bedside.

Meryl looked at him quizzically as he stood in front of her. The plant had a serious expression on his face and he seemed tenser than normal.

After a few moments of waiting for him to speak, she figured that he wasn't going to talk first and decided to start up the conversation first.

"Is there something you wanted, Knives?"

Her spoken words seemed to arouse him from whatever trance he'd been in. "I came to discuss what happened this afternoon," he explained.

Meryl felt herself blushing once more and she started rambling. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it. I don't mind." As soon as those words came out of her mouth Meryl realized her mistake and backtracked. "I mean, I don't want it to happen agai-"

Knives held up a hand to silence her babbling. "I have come here to explain myself. I don't want you thinking that I am like the males of your species, who shamelessly spy on the females."

"Oh," Meryl said, and nodded at him to continue.

"Firstly," he started, "I would like to apologize for breaking in when you were bathing."

The insurance lady stared at him in stunned shock for a few seconds. One of the last things she thought she'd ever hear was Knives apologizing for his actions. Reaching one hand down, she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

The man saw the action and knowing its meaning he scowled. He expected his words to always be taken seriously and it irritated him when they weren't. Knives kept his cool, though, he still had a few items left to say and losing his temper would not help.

"There is also the matter of why you were bathing when I was conveniently occupied elsewhere," he said in cool tones.

Meryl gulped and slouched down a little in her bed. She was really hoping that he'd forgotten that part.

"Now, I don't remember giving my permission for you to cleanse yourself." He said as he eyed her accusingly.

"Alright!" Meryl exploded. "I know I was supposed to ask your permission, but after almost a week of having to ask if I could even take a bath, well, I couldn't take it any more." His features didn't even twitch and she added, "I'm sorry, okay? It won't happen again."

He tilted his head back and looked down at her, reminding her of a bird of prey with those sharp features of his. "No, I don't believe that an apology is sufficient for this transgression."

"What!" Meryl exclaimed.

"You intentionally disobeyed one of my rules and as I see it, you must be punished," he told her calmly.

"Punished?" Meryl repeated disbelievingly, tightening her grip on the sheets. The thought of Knives punishing her brought horrific images before her mind. This guy had made a living out of torturing and killing humans, what _couldn't_ he do to punish her?

"Correct. And I have thought of a most suitable punishment for you," he paused, letting her worry over what he had planned. It served her right, after all.

"You will accompany me to the festival being held tomorrow."

Meryl stared at him dumbfounded for a bit until she regained her bearings. That was a punishment?!

He must have planned for her confusion because he calmly said, "This will be your first outing amongst the rest of the human populace. The doctor stated that you would have a fear of crowds, a fear that must be eliminated, in my opinion. Therefore, I'm insisting that you spend the entire evening out amongst the crowds."

She paled as the realization set in. All her time away from people had made her forget that little aftereffect of her experience. The young woman hugged her knees to her body, feeling terrified with just the thought of being around all of those people. And she would be around them the entire day!

"I...I don't think I can do it, Knives," she spoke in a quiet voice.

"I will be there," he said, as if it solved everything.

Meryl lifted her head and looked at him in shock. She could have sworn that he was trying to comfort her. He was staring at her with an unwavering gaze and she was the first to look away.

The young woman heard him move toward the entrance of the room, apparently finished with the conversation. The door quietly opened and she once more looked at him as he left the room.

He looked back at her over his shoulder and said, "Be ready to go by nine."

With that he closed the door.

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At eight-thirty the next morning Meryl sat on her bed and contemplated her trip to the festival.

The event was a citywide celebration that occurred every year in December. It was held to commemorate the will of the people who continued to survive on this dusty planet. How ironic that Knives was the one forcing her to go.

People from all over would come to enjoy its activities. There were contests like toma riding and there would be a gun tournament. It wouldn't be like a quick draw contest, though, where people would shoot to the death. In this festival, bloodshed wasn't allowed and the participants only shot at targets. The winner was the one with the best aim, like in an archery contest. The gun tournament was held on the final day of the festival, followed by a dance later that night.

Booths would also litter the streets trying to sell all kinds of merchandise. At this time you could find just about anything that you wanted. There would be everything from fancy jewelry to gun holsters.

Today just happened to be the last day of the celebration, if Meryl remembered correctly. Her experience and the resulting healing process had completely wiped any memory of the festival away. Only when Knives had mentioned it did she recall that the festival was occurring.

'_Speaking of the devil . . . '_

Knives picked that moment to show up at her open door. She'd never seen him in such casual clothing. He wasn't wearing his large trench coat and had on a grey hooded sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans.

Meryl herself had on a tight fitting, violet shirt with a short, white skirt. Her usual leggings were gone. The day promised to be a warm one, so she had forgone the warm clothing.

Both of them examined the other and when they noticed, quickly averted their gazes.

Meryl shook her head slightly, trying to shake the feelings of a shy school girl. There wasn't anything to be jittery about, she told herself. After all, it was only Knives. Nothing special. Even though, she'd never seen him wear such normal clothing before. In her mind 'Knives' and 'normal' just didn't fit in the same sentence.

"Are you ready?" came his smooth voice.

She stood and made her way over to him. Giving him a nervous smile, she walked past him and to the front door.

Meryl almost felt her usually steady courage leave her as she looked at the imposing door. For a strange reason, Knives' presence behind her gave her the needed push to brave her fear and face the crowds of people right outside of the home.

As the two of them stood in the middle of the busy street, Meryl turned to Knives questioningly. She didn't have any idea what they were supposed to entertain themselves with and besides, this had been his idea in the first place.

"So, what did you want to see?" she asked the plant, attempting to keep the tremor out of her voice. Meryl was trying to put on a brave face, she really was. Still, the crowds gave her a feeling of paranoia, like there could be someone out there who was after her.

"I planned on visiting the local booths first," was his reply.

"Alright." Meryl nodded and he led the way through the crowds toward the part of town hosting the small shops.

Soon they found themselves amongst the small temporary stores that were lining both sides of the street. There were all sorts of items and the shopkeepers could be heard over the multitude, attempting to draw people to their booths.

At the moment Meryl was very grateful for Knives' personality. The plant emanated an aura that kept people from invading his personal space. The insurance lady was able to follow after him without the jostling she usually got when being in a mass of people.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Meryl asked Knives. He seemed very intent and seemed to be glancing at all the stores for something in particular.

"I'm in need of a holster," he told her, not taking his eyes from the vendors.

"But you already have one," she said, indicating the hip holster that held his black gun.

He slanted her an annoyed look and continued perusing the street. "That one is not adequate. This gun was specially made by me," Meryl rolled her eyes at his ego-boosting.

"A regular merchandise like the holster I have will not do," he continued, ignoring her. "What I'm looking for is a dealer who will craft one specifically for my gun."

She was just about to make a comment on how picky he was, when his eyes lit up and he veered off to the side of the busy road.

In the unexpected move Meryl almost lost him in the crowd. _'Thank God he's so tall,' _she told herself.

Once she located his blond head Meryl was able to track him to a small stand. Knives was animatedly talking with what she guessed was the proprietor of the shop. She politely stood off to the side and glanced around at the inventory the man had. It appeared that Knives had found exactly what he was looking for.

There were tons of holsters hanging down from the top of the stand. Each one appeared to have been made by hand. Every one of them had their own unique design, shape, and size.

"Can't you just make it with the specifications I've given you!?"

Knives' angry voice startled her out of her examination of the objects. She turned her attention back to the two men and watched as a heated argument began between them. It took her a few moments to figure out what they were yelling over.

It seemed as if the shopkeeper wouldn't make a holster for the plant unless he gave over his gun. Just giving the specs wasn't enough for him. He wanted to actually have the object with him when he made the holder.

This did not sit well with Knives. To him, a human touching his gun was blasphemous. Too bad for him that the stand owner was just as stubborn as himself.

"Fine!" he finally shouted out, slamming his fists on the counter top. "I'll give you my gun, but," at this he grew deadly serious and his voice as cold as Meryl had ever heard it. Having been knocked unconscious in the alley, she didn't know that his tone could get even colder. "If anything happens to it, I assure you I will hold you responsible."

The man behind the booth gave a nervous nod and when Knives set the large weapon in his hand, he held it as if it were glass.

As for Meryl, she was impressed by Knives' restraint. If this had happened when they had first arrived at the city, she didn't doubt that he would have blown the man away for his 'insolence', as the plant would have dubbed it.

He'd almost tried to destroy the entire city that day in the park, and that was over some spilled lunch! Yes, she was very happy that he was finally showing some tolerance for humanity; though, she doubted he'd dropped his planned extermination of the human race entirely. It was a start.

"_Maybe bringing him to December wasn't such a bad idea . . . '_ she thought to herself as Meryl followed a grumbling Knives back onto the busy street. The young woman guessed that it would take awhile for the holster to be made as they walked deeper into the festival crowds.

The two of them spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon walking around the city. Keeping her mind on the games and all the activity of happy people kept her from thinking of her fears.

Meryl had always secretly enjoyed playing the games that the carnival offered. Of course, she was especially good at the shooting games. With all the training she'd had with her derringers she was able to win some of the best prizes at the booth. Unfortunately, the stand only supplied tiny stuffed animals.

Not wanting to carry around a large bunch of toma and sandworms, the insurance lady handed them out to the children who hadn't been as lucky at the game.

Unbeknownst to her, Knives was gazing at everything that transpired during the festival, including her little act of charity. He calmly stood by and watched as she talked with the children for a little bit and then waved her goodbyes.

It annoyed him that she had given something of hers and she didn't seem to get anything back. The plant knew why she'd done it, though, but the human sentiment behind the act didn't fit into his preconception of the race he'd vowed to destroy. Again the woman known as Meryl Stryfe had proven to him that not all humans were the filth that he claimed them to be.

He once more cursed his brother for sending him with the young woman. Knives easily saw through his brother's ploy. Vash expected the short woman to somehow convince him that humanity didn't deserve to be destroyed. She was doing a better job than Knives had expected.

The holster should have been done by then, so the two of them made their way back to the shop.

On the way through a few of games Knives noticed that the young woman had not followed him. Retracing his steps, he found her in front of one of the games, glancing at the prizes. The activity was one of the hardest in the entire carnival.

The object of the game was to flip tiny, round disks into glasses that were stationed in the middle of a square ring. The top of the containers steadily became smaller as you went into the middle. Each glass was spaced evenly and was elevated higher as they neared the middle so that their shape resembled a pyramid. There were people on all sides trying their luck at the difficult challenge. Few even succeeded in tossing a disk into the outside glasses.

With the odds being against the person so bad, the people running the game had tried to lure customers in by having the best prizes.

There were the traditional toma and sandworms, but this booth also had creatures that had only existed on Earth. The biggest stuffed animals were the cats, rabbits, and teddy bears that hung from the top of the booth.

When Knives came up to Meryl, he noticed that she had her attention elsewhere. Following her gaze, he saw that she was looking at one of the large prizes, a white bear.

Meryl bit her lip and studied the game. She knew that she had little to no chance of winning any of the large prizes. The only reason the young woman had stopped in front of the booth was because the white fur on the bear had caught her attention. In this sandy world, products such as cotton were rare and a frivolous toy like a teddy bear even rarer. As a child she'd had one of her own. She'd have loved to have one, but sensible Meryl didn't wish to waste her money on something she knew she wasn't going to win.

As the insurance lady turned from the booth, she almost ran into Knives who was standing beside her.

"Oh. Knives. I didn't see you there," she said.

Meryl made to move around him and back toward the holster booth when one of his hands whipped out and grabbed her arm. She followed his arm back up to his face, wondering what he was doing.

He had his face turned away slightly so she couldn't see his expression.

"Do you want one?" he asked her.

Meryl blinked a few times, wondering what he was referring to.

"The animals," he indicated with a wave of his free hand.

She took another look at the bear she wanted and averted her gaze again. "I'm fine," she told him with a smile to make it believable.

Apparently he wasn't convinced for he stepped up to the booth, dragging her behind him.

"I'll play one game's worth," he told one of the people running the game as he laid down money for the activity.

"Knives," Meryl pleaded. "You don't have to do this. I'm fine, really."

He slanted her a look before staring back at the glasses in the middle of the ring. "You're a horrible liar," was all that he said in return.

A young man came up, took the double dollars and handed him five small disks.

Now Meryl felt guilty. The young woman never liked it when people spent money because of her. She knew that he wouldn't have been doing the game if she hadn't stopped in front of it in the first place.

Like a true strategist, Knives examined the game for a few minutes. The man who'd given him the disks was getting annoyed by how long he was taking, but the plant ignored him and focused solely on the glasses.

When he finally brought his hand up, he tossed the saucer so fast that no one saw it until it hit the bottom of the glass in the middle. The crowd watching the game cheered him on. He'd been the first all night to score one of the containers.

Meryl would have been as surprised as the rest of the audience if she hadn't of known Knives personally. She knew that both his and Vash's reflexes and aims were much better than a human's. Usually she would have thought of that as having an unfair advantage, but all the games in the carnival gave those with skill the advantage. After all, hadn't she won the shooting game by having such good aim?

So, she sat back and watched as he sank the next four into the middle glass as well. The astonished workers of the game handed him over the white teddy bear that Meryl had wanted. They made their way out of the crowd that had gathered around them and continued toward the holster shop.

A white bear appeared in Meryl's vision after they had walked for a minute. She glanced at the man who was holding it out to her and took the bear slowly. He never once even glanced her way and she could have sworn that he had a faint blush.

"Thank you, Knives," she whispered shyly and appreciatively. No guy had ever given her a gift like this before and she could feel her own cheeks redden. She also had another reason to thank him, she realized. Throughout their entire time at the festival, she had not once been frightened by the crowds around them. With Knives distracting her, she hadn't had the time to notice her fear.

"I didn't want to listen to you complain later about not having anything," he told her gruffly in response to her thanks.

Meryl playfully swatted him on the arm and he grunted in response.

Both of them really knew that wasn't the reason he'd done it, but neither were willing to state the obvious. So, the two of them walked in companionable silence the rest of the way to the store.


	10. Guns and Dancing

A/N: I am proud to present my newest chapter and ecstatic that it didn't take me forever to write it. As always, thank you to those you reviewed my story. I just love reading what you have to say.

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Chapter 10: Guns and Dancing

The couple soon reached the holster store. Just as the man promised, the finished item was sitting in front of him, with the black gun snugly fit inside.

Knives looked over the merchandise, strapping the thigh holster to himself to make sure the merchandise had been made correctly. With a satisfied nod, he paid the owner the appropriate amount of money before the two of them strode back into the crowds.

It was around lunch so the two of them found a restaurant to eat at. The establishment was busy, but they were lucky enough to acquire a table.

Typically, on a day like this there would be the regular patrons filling the tables. Now, the festival had brought in many different types of people and the restaurant was full of all sorts of characters. A particularly loud group next to their table brought a sour look to Knives' face.

He opted to ignore them, however, and he and Meryl enjoyed a delicious meal. They were nearly finished eating when the group of obviously intoxicated men left their table and walked up to Meryl. The men surrounded her, making her feel very uncomfortable. They didn't either notice or care that Knives was just across the table from them, giving the humans a narrow-eyed glare.

"Well, hello there cutie," one of the men, probably the leader, addressed Meryl.

On her travels around Gunsmoke, Meryl had come across such characters as these, but always before she'd had her trusty derringers to help her. She'd also not been almost raped by a man in an alleyway.

Her fear came back full-force as the men crowded around her chair. She slunk lower in her seat as the leader leaned toward her.

"What's wrong, sweaty? Don't be afraid. Me and the boys will show you a good time." He gave a feral grin, then reached out and grabbed her arm. A growl came from the other side of the table and the drunks looked up at Knives, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Hey, buddy," he said consolingly to Knives, "don't worry about your woman here. We'll take good care of her for ya'."

Knives bristled at the name the human addressed him with. His rage flared up further when he saw the man drag Meryl out of her seat. He could tell she was frightened by the look in her eyes.

He quickly stood, upsetting his chair and causing the men to go on the offensive, drawing their guns and pointing them his way.

The plant maintained a passive composure, even though he was seething inside. These were the type of people that made him want to destroy humanity.

The men and Knives stood for a moment, simply looking at each other, wondering what the other would do.

"I believe," Knives started slowly, "that it would be in your best interest if you let the young woman go."

Instead of following his orders, the group of men laughed at him. They laughed at the most dangerous person on the planet, and Knives was sorely tempted to make them aware of that fact. Meryl appeared to sense his thoughts. She shook her head slowly as if to warn him against such an action.

The laughter soon died down and the leader spoke again, bringing Meryl against him. "You thinkin' you can take us all on? You're outnumbered, friend."

As much as Knives hated to admit it, he had to agree with the man's assessment. Sure, he could disarm all of them, but Meryl would be put at great risk.

"How about this, buddy? Why don't we have a contest to see which one of us gets this woman?" He sneered and looked down at the cringing Meryl.

"I'm listening," Knives grated out, clearly unhappy with having to bargain with such trash.

"The gun tournament is in an hour. We can both enter and the person who does the best, wins the pretty lady." He gave a triumphant grin, positive that he had won. Never had the gang's leader, Jim Douglas, ever lost a tournament in his life. He and his gang were known for their exceptional aim and where often hired out as mercenaries.

Knives thought over his options. He could either attempt to rescue the young woman now, thereby putting her in danger, or he could go with the brute's idea and beat him at the contest. It took him little time to decide on the safer of the two routes. He'd sworn to protect her after all, and risking her life just wasn't an option.

"Agreed, but I will hold the woman." There was no way he wanted her to stay in that man's grasp for another second.

Douglas would have loved to have kept the woman with him, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself any further. He and his gang were wanted men and dragging Meryl down the street, for surely she wouldn't come with him willingly, would alert people that something wasn't right.

He pushed her away from him and into Knives' waiting arms. "Fine, but don't try anything funny or we'll blow you full of holes." The guns being put back in their holsters were proof enough that they would follow through with the threat.

Knives simply nodded and walked out of the diner, placing Meryl in front of him, still carrying that stupid bear. She'd be safer that way, in case any shooting was to occur. With his plant body, he could take bullets much more readily than the tiny woman.

The atmosphere was tense as they walked the streets. Both Meryl and Knives knew what the stakes were in this game. If she were to be handed over to the gang, it was a sure bet that she wouldn't survive the encounter. People like the men behind them had no regard for life.

They soon reached the small arena that had been set up for the tournament. Both men walked up to the sign-up booth and filled out the required forms. The contest was to start in a few minutes and both contestants went to their respective areas.

There were roughly around one-hundred people participating this year, all of them professionally known, excluding Knives, of course. He was the only unknown and he could feel the curious stares of the onlookers on him as he stood at his area.

Only five men went at one time for the first few rounds, Knives being in the first circuit. In front of each person was a table, set about one-hundred yarz away and as the tournament continued, the distance would be lengthened. On each of the furniture were five bottles. The goals were to shoot all of the bottles and in the shortest amount of time.

Knives was uneasily standing in his place, glancing out of the corner of his eye to where Meryl was standing. He'd had to leave her with some of the outlaws so they could keep watch over her, making sure she didn't try to escape.

The plant had to admit that she was putting on a really brave face, considering the circumstances. Most people would have panicked, but Meryl had remained calm in the face of both the outlaws and her own fear. Right now, as she was surrounded by the filth, the insurance lady was using her temper to curb her fear, but Knives wasn't going to scold her for her attitude. Whatever worked for her was fine. Besides, he liked to see the men quiver whenever she sent them one of her famous glares.

He turned his attention back to the contest and watched as the man running the tournament stepped forward.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the one-hundredth annual gun tournament!" A torrent of clapping followed his words and he waited for the crowd to calm down. "This year we have a big show in store for you. Many skillful men have come this year to battle for the title of Gunsmoke's best gunman and to win this year's prizes."

He indicated a small tent near the shooting range. Under the covering was a small table that held three trophies for the third, second, and first place winners. Also, beside those were the prizes that went with each place.

"For third place," the director called out, waving his hand for the prize to be shown, "we have ten-thousand double dollars!" The director grinned as the crowd went wild again. "For second, we have thirty-thousand double dollars!" The noise grew in volume with the next cheer. "And lastly, first place receives a prize by the amount of fifty-thousand double dollars!"

Knives was tempted to put his hands over his ears on the last cheer. He could care less about the human money. The plant already had enough for himself and at the moment Meryl's life rested on him winning, something infinitely more valuable than money. The man almost cringed on that last thought, knowing it for the truth that it was. To him, her life was important, though he had no idea why and didn't wish to dwell on the implications.

The director spoke for a few minutes more about the history of the event, but Knives paid him no heed, focusing all of his attention on the bottles in front of him. Finally, the man finished speaking and another event organizer came forth, carrying with him a small handgun. He gave directions to the gunman. They would start at the sound of the gun and the fastest two people with the best aim would go on to the next round.

"All right," he called out, "Ready . . . GO!"

Faster than anyone could see, Knives had whipped out his gun and obliterated the bottles. When he had finished, the next best person was still shooting his third object. The crowd noticed this and cheered for Knives as he left the shooting grounds to wait for the next round.

Douglas' turn was next and even Knives had to admit that the human had skill. Maybe not as fast as himself, but the man still flattened the competition.

The two progressed through the contest until they were the only ones left. By this time the bottles were placed over four-hundred yarz away, looking like tiny specks. Douglas' cocky attitude had all but diminished as he had watched Knives win round after round. He was sweating like a pig now, and looked extremely nervous. Knives was still as calm as ever, confident in his abilities.

Both were standing side-by-side and Knives was eyeing the human suspiciously. Desperate men would often pull off anything to win.

He was proven correct when, right as the man was shooting off the start gun, Douglas slipped out a tiny gun of his own, holding it within the folds of his coat so no one would see it. The outlaw was attempting to win the contest by using two guns to shoot the bottles faster.

In a move faster than any he'd shown so far, Knives pulled his gun from its holster and shot all of his glasses before the other man. Even with two guns Douglas still couldn't beat him.

Said man was staring at Knives with an open mouth and wide eyes. They soon narrowed in anger and he made a small gesture with a hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, Knives saw one of his gang draw out a small firearm and take aim at a defenseless Meryl. They were going to use the crowd's noise to drown out the sound of the gun.

Using the last bullet in his gun, Knives quickly shot the weapon out of the man's hand. He then reloaded and did the same for the others who had drawn theirs as well.

All the gunfire had caught the attention of the spectators and the police. They had swiftly apprehended the men and Knives, who was vehemently protesting being arrested as well. In the festival, no shooting was allowed outside of the gun tournament.

Meryl solved the problem when she strode up to the officer in charge. She explained the situation to them in great detail, from the beginning in the restaurant to now. Someone had called the police earlier, reporting the incident in the restaurant. As Knives, Meryl and the gang fit the descriptions given to the police, they were inclined to believe her.

What also helped, was that one of the officers recognized the gang from their wanted posters. The men were known for kidnaping people in the same manner as they had tried to take Meryl.

The police took Meryl and Knives' names and told them that they would have to come into the station to make a statement. Then the cops left with their prisoners, leaving the two alone.

The young woman hung her tired head and sighed. She had really hoped that their trip today was going to be nice and peaceful. Unfortunately for her, she had never had much luck avoiding trouble. _'Probably got it from Vash,'_ she thought with a smirk.

"Do such things always occur when you are around?" came that cold voice.

Meryl turned to look at her companion with an annoyed expression. "It's not like I wanted any of this to happen," she groused back at him.

Knives was about to retort back when a man came up to him. In his arms he held the first place trophy and the check for fifty-thousand double dollars. "Excuse me, sir, but I believe these are yours." He handed Knives the items and quickly stood back. A roar of applause erupted from the crowd still in the stands and the couple stood in shock.

The both of them had completely forgotten the contest in all of the excitement. It appeared that news of the apprehension of the outlaws had spread and the people were also applauding Knives for his good deed.

Knives was almost cringing. There was absolutely no way he wanted to be known as a hero. He was the apocalypse of the human race, after all, not a role model!

When people began to crowd around him, spouting praises for his great deed, he grabbed a hold of Meryl's arm and led her quickly away. They trudged through the crowd of cheering people and newspaper reporters. Knives practically dragged poor Meryl behind him. She was having trouble keeping up with her shorter legs.

After much jostling and dodging, he was finally able to disengage Meryl and himself from the crowds of people. He swiftly took off in the direction of what appeared to be a large party, hoping to lose the group of people still following them in the large crowds.

Knives had led them into the dance that was just beginning. The suns were almost below the horizon and people were milling around the dance floor that had been laid out near the town square. It was a simple structure, made up of large wooden planks that had been set on the dirt ground.

The plant found a small unoccupied bench in a remote corner for them to rest. Meryl sat down hard, grateful for the reprieve for her aching feet.

She sat back with a sigh of relief. Knives set himself beside her, cautiously glancing around to make sure they still weren't being followed. There was a table set up where people could place their valuables while they dance. Knives had taken advantage of the convenience and left his trophy with the humans who were guarding the valuables. He kept the check on himself.

For a few minutes they simply sat there, watching all the people around them. Soon the band struck up a tune and couples began milling onto the dance floor.

As Meryl watched the couples dance together, she felt a twinge of an ache in her heart. On Gunsmoke, women of her age were already married and having families of their own. Not for the first time in her life, she felt acutely aware of her lacking social life. She couldn't say that she had any close friends, excluding Milly, and she couldn't even remember the last time she'd gone on a date.

She shook her head at herself. Now wasn't the time to wallow in self pity. Her job was to keep care of Knives, and that included changing his pessimistic views on humanity.

She had to look at the bright side, anyway. Sitting here, amidst such a large group of people, Meryl found that her nervous fear of crowds had all but disappeared.

Meryl, so lost in her thoughts, didn't notice the looks Knives was giving her. He was quite surprised at how the woman had stood up under the strain of the day. The plant had to grudgingly admit that she was made of tougher stuff than he had ever believed. All of his careful scrutiny this past week had availed him nothing. Sure, she'd been as insufferable as ever, but the small woman had not done anything to merit her own destruction, or that of her race.

He was mulling over his observations of her character when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd. It was one of the newspaper reporters that had been hounding the two of them earlier, at the shooting range. The person was coming toward their bench, but had not seen them yet.

Not wanting to answer any annoying questions, he quickly grabbed a surprised Meryl's arm and led her toward the only available escape route. Unfortunately, the only way they could slip by the journalist unnoticed, was to go onto the dance floor.

There were a great many couples dancing and the two soon found themselves completely surrounded. Just as Meryl and Knives were debating on what to do next, the rhythm of the music changed.

Before the plant knew it, Meryl was being swept up by a young man who had suddenly appeared in front of her. He had quickly asked her to dance and without waiting for an answer, had whisked her off.

With a growl, Knives followed after them, jostling people out of his way and earning a few angry cries.

He finally caught up to the pair. The human male seemed to be enjoying dragging Meryl around, while the young woman was trying her best to pull herself from his grasp. She looked very uncomfortable, crushed up against the man's chest.

In a fast move, the irate plant had taken hold of the human's arms that were around Meryl and brought them behind the man's back. Meryl stepped back in shock as the man gave a cry of pain and thrashed in Knives' hold.

"Let me go!" he cried out as Knives held him firmly. Knives couldn't pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, but seeing Meryl in the arms of this man had angered him almost beyond reason. It was the insurance lady's frightened and pale face that brought him back to his calm self.

He released the human with a snarl and watched as the man hightailed it into the surrounding crowd. Almost no one had noticed the little scuffle and those who did returned to their dancing after Knives gave them glares.

He turned his attention back to Meryl, walking up to her and inspecting her for any physical damage.

Meryl was fine, except that she was very bewildered over Knives' behavior. She'd never known him to lose his composure so badly while in public. The insurance girl was even more surprised when he gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his still furious face.

"Did he hurt you?!" His tone was both worried and angry. Meryl wasn't prepared for his sudden concern over her well-being and felt tongue-tied. She was only able to shake her head in response and her answer appeared to soothe him.

At that moment a wildly dancing couple, heedless of everyone else around them, came flying toward Meryl and Knives. With quick thinking and reflexes, Knives grasped one of her hands and slid the other around her waist. He gave a gentle push and moved the two of them out of the couple's way.

They stopped a few feet away, watching the oblivious two dance through the crowd. The two soon disappeared amongst the crowd and Meryl was the first to notice their position, blushing hotly in embarrassment.

The body next to his went rigid and he heard Meryl give a small, alarmed squeak. He turned his attention to her, taking note of her red cheeks and wide eyes.

It took him but a moment to realize what was causing her such distress. In their haste to move out of the way of the wildly dancing couple, the two of them had inadvertently brought their bodies closer together, each of them practically clinging to the other.

For Meryl, there was simply way too much contact. Her face felt like it was on fire, she was so embarrassed. She peered up at Knives and at that moment wanted to throttle him. The plant didn't look at all uncomfortable with their current arrangement. His features were calm and held the usual downturn of his lips.

He may have appeared collected on the outside, but inwardly he too was feeling more than a little nervous over their position.

Before either of them could do anything, they were abruptly jostled by the surrounding couples. A few insults were hurled to the surprised pair and they realized that they were in the way of the people who had actually come to dance.

The dance floor was filled with tons of people laughing and dancing, making it hard for the two to make an escape. Knives, seeing that there was no other choice then to blend with the crowd, began a slow dance with Meryl reluctantly following him.

The plant had learned how to dance when he had been with Rem and Vash on the ship. With his good memory it only took a little bit of time for him to remember the dance steps.

Meryl was having a little more trouble. She had absolutely no idea how to dance. As a girl she'd never gone to social activities like dances. Using her quick wit she observed everyone else around them and tried to copy the movement of their feet.

After the first few times of his feet being stepped on by his partner Knives asked the obvious, "You have absolutely no idea how to dance, do you?"

His smug tone graded on her already short temper and she snapped back at him, "No, I just like to walk on your feet!"

'_If she was going to be that way . . . ' _he smugly thought to himself. He immediately sped up their dance pace, skillfully maneuvering them through the throngs of people.

Meryl figured out his trick the second he increased their speed. The man was trying to get back at her for her smart remark. He hoped to take a chunk out of her pride by forcing her to ask him to slow the pace back down. Knives thoroughly believed she could not keep up with him. _'Well," _she thought determinedly, _"I'll show him!"_

The insurance lady had always been known for her capacity to cope with situations and this instance was no exception. With a great deal of concentration and skill she didn't know she had, Meryl was able to hold her own, even with Knives moving at such a rapid pace.

Knives raised an eyebrow in surprise and she smiled cheekily up at him.

Eventually, the music faded and the two came to a stop.

A round of clapping exploded around them and the couple looked around, bewildered. Neither had realized that while they had been occupied in trying to show up the other, a dancing contest had gotten underway.

Now the people were applauding them for their display and both sighed in exasperation at the unwanted attention. The crowd at the gun tournament was annoying enough, but now they had waltzed themselves into another mess!

The judges came forward, one of them holding a trophy with the little figures of a dancing couple on the top. They were presented the trophy for most energetic couple, causing Meryl to blush at the thought of her and Knives being a couple.

Soon after they were swarmed by people wanting their autographs and throwing questions at them left and right.

It was painfully obvious that both of them wanted none of the attention and like before, the couple were able to remove themselves from the throng of people and make a getaway. They only made a short stop for Knives to pick up his trophy and Meryl carried the bear and one they had just won. There was no way Knives was going to carry around a stuffed animal.

The extra baggage made running difficult for Meryl since she also had to keep up with Knives' long strides. She was very grateful when they finally left the crowds behind them and were on the street that led to her house. At that point the plant finally stopped, allowing Meryl to get a much needed breather.

Knives, his voice soundly slightly winded, said, "I am never taking you out again."

He made it sound like they had gone on a date or something, causing the insurance girl to blush. The agitated and sour look on his face, however, made Meryl laugh as hard as her already empty lungs would allow her.


	11. Return

A/N: So many reviews! And all of them were nice and some were just a tad threatening . . . but still appreciated! I know this chapter isn't as large as my other ones, but I wanted to give you guys something to read.

If any of you haven't heard, I started up my own website dedicated to this pairing which you can get to from my bio. I also posted a one-shot only on the site in the fanfiction area to celebrate it. I know, it's a shameless way to get people to my website, but I really want your opinions! I want to know if you guys would have any further ideas for the site or if the poor, pathetic thing should be given an early retirement.

Disclaimer: Me? Own Trigun? Hahahahahahaha!

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Chapter 11: Return

The days passed quickly after the festival, but the two didn't seem to notice. They had actually found that the company of the other was tolerable, not that they had stopped their squabbling. On the contrary, the two loved a challenge and besting the other in a verbal match suited their tastes perfectly.

A full month after the festival, Meryl opened the front door when she heard someone knock. Standing in front of her, with big smiles on their faces, were Vash and Millie.

"Surprise!" Millie yelled as she swept Meryl up into a bone-crushing hug.

"Millie?!" Meryl squeaked out as she felt the air squeezed from her lungs.

"I missed you so much and I have so much to tell you," her partner told her in a rush of words.

About this time, the small insurance lady could only manage strangled gasps as the hug continued.

"Maybe you should let her breath, Millie?" came Vash's hesitant and worried voice from the doorway.

"Huh?" she blinked, and then noticed the shade of blue Meryl's face had turned. "Whoops! Sorry, senpai,"

She gently set Meryl down and steadied her as the short woman caught her breath.

"That's all right, Millie," she answered back in a breathless voice. She knew that the larger woman never meant any harm. Millie just didn't know her own strength sometimes.

"Hey, insurance girl," Vash said as he stepped up to her, also giving a hug, except it was gentler than Millie's.

When he let her go, Meryl stepped back to look at the two of them, a large smile on her face. Seeing them there in front of her brought her a great amount of joy. How she had missed her friends!

But she was wondering, what were they doing here? Was Millie's vacation already over? She hadn't realized that a few months had already passed since she'd last seen the two of them.

"The both of you look well," she told them with a smile, and fine they were. Vash still had his hair in the gravity-defying style, but instead of his usual red coat he wore regular jeans and a white shirt. Millie had on her typical large coat with overalls and a white shirt underneath.

Meryl turned to Vash and addressed him in a teasing tone. "Did you have fun with at the Thompson's?" What she was really asking was if he'd enjoyed his time spent around Millie.

A light blush stained his cheeks and a goofy grin spread over his face. "It was a blast! I had no idea that Millie had THAT much family," he said in his high pitched annoying voice, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

Meryl shook her head in disbelief. After all the stories Millie had told them, you'd have thought he would have figured that out.

"So, you survived the humans, brother?"

The cold voice caught everyone's attention and all heads swivelled to the kitchen doorway. Knives stood there, smirking slightly at his own cruel sense of humor.

Vash, not taking the bait, answered, "I sure did, Knives. You should have come too! They're really nice people." He sauntered up to his brother and whispered in a hushed voice into his ear, "The ladies were dying to meet you once I told them that I had a brother."

Knives knew that Vash was teasing him, but the thought of human females fawning over his person still disgusted him. With a growl, he pushed his brother away from himself and glared at the spikey-haired plant.

Vash threw his hands up in mock surrender. Millie took that moment to step forward and addressed Knives.

"Hello, Mr. Knives, you look well! It looks like Meryl has been taking good care of you."

An incredulous look spread across his face at the insinuation that a human had taken care of him. While he was still shocked over such a statement Millie stepped forward and with no hesitation caught Knives up in a hug, as well.

His look went from shocked to horrified at the violation of his person. Knives was too strong for Millie to hug to death, but her grip kept him from moving, which was a good thing. Had he possession of his limbs, he would have flung her away in a very rude manner. There was also Vash to worry about. He doubted his brother would like it if he were to treat this human in such a way.

As it was, when Millie let go and stepped back, he gave her his best icy glare. Unfortunately, it simply bounced off of Millie and she gave him a big smile back, seemingly oblivious to the eyes trying to burn holes through her.

Irritated that his intimidation methods weren't working, he swiftly turned, without saying a word, and stomped off to his room. The slamming of his bedroom door, caused Meryl to wince and she shook her head in exasperation. Sometimes she really wished that he would act his age, or at least half of it. These temper tantrums of his were really tiresome.

Meryl turned to look at Vash who was still standing next to the spot that the irritated plant had vacated. She thought he had a slightly disappointed look on his face.

He caught her eyes and gave her a small smile, saying, "Same old Knives."

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For the next few hours the three of them caught up on what had happened since they had last seen each other. When Millie and Vash finished telling of their time at the Thompson ranch, Meryl was laughing tears.

Those two needed no help in getting into trouble, but it seemed like the Thompson clan was more than willing to help. Their adventures, which involved replaying the Earth event of the running of the bulls(except with toma) and a runaway tractor, left Meryl gasping for breath.

As for what she and Knives had been doing these last few months, Meryl really didn't want to tell them everything, but couldn't stand the thought of lying to them.

When she spoke of the incident in the alley, Millie had gasped and Vash had jumped up in outrage. After a few minutes of calming them down and assuring them that she was fine, she finished the story.

Remembering that event still brought chills racing down her spine and a bit of curiosity. What had Knives been doing in that alley, anyway? Had he somehow known that she'd been in trouble, or had he simply been passing by?

Lost in her own musings, Meryl hadn't noticed the thoughtful look on Vash's face when she'd mentioned the blue lights she'd seen before losing consciousness.

A rather loud noise caught the young woman's attention. Vash's stomach was crying out for food, and he held a hand over it, laughing sheepishly. A quick glance at the clock told Meryl that it was almost the dinner hour.

She was glad that her story had been interrupted. Maybe this way she wouldn't have to tell them about the festival. What Meryl knew she wasn't going to mention was the shower episode. If it was her choice, not a single person would ever learn about that incredibly embarrassing event.

The two insurance girls rose and went to the kitchen. This meal would be special since they were going to be celebrating Vash and Millie's homecoming.

While they were busy preparing the meal, Vash strolled to the back of the house, more particularly, Knives' room. He found the door shut and, after giving a warning knock, he opened it and took a peak inside.

Knives was leaning his back against the headboard of his bed, staring at Vash with an open book on his lap and a scowl on his face. Vash was far too used to his twin's grouchiness to have it deter him from entering the room.

The bedroom was spotless, reflecting Knives' inherent need for cleanliness. There was only a sparse amount of furniture, pointing to this room having been a guest room before Knives had set up semipermanent residence. There was only the bed, an end table, a chair, and a small desk.

Vash was the first one to speak. "Meryl told us that you were the one to save her in that alley a few months back." His tone was neutral, but there was a hint of a question in it. He, too, was wondering what Knives had been doing there at that moment.

Knives knew what Vash was asking, but didn't really want to give him an answer. What could he tell him? That he'd just felt that she'd been in trouble, like some sixth sense?

Not only that, but there was no way he'd speak about how he'd reacted when he'd seen Meryl in that alley. The image was still ingrained in his brain, of the filthy human male standing over her beaten and unconscious body. He clenched his fingers around the book in an attempt to control himself. The rage he'd felt then was still palpable when just thinking about that moment.

He then remembered that his brother was still standing in the room, expecting an answer to his silent question. "What of it?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"I wanted to thank you," he answered back, "for saving her life. You kept your promise to me, even though I'd never imagined anything like that happening."

Knives hmphed and looked out the window. "I always keep my promises, brother. Nothing will ever change that."

A slow, sly smile spread across Vash's face, a warning that a bout of teasing was on its way. "I'm also glad that the two of you haven't killed each other yet." The grin grew. "Who knew that you and Meryl would make such a nice couple!?"

Knives' head swivelled so fast that Vash was afraid he'd get whiplash. "What did you say?" He asked in a chillingly calm voice.

Vash held his hands up in a placating manner, trying to fend off the temper explosion that was imminent. "There's no reason to get mad, Knives. I was just joking." He took a step toward the door.

The other plant's eyes narrowed and Vash heard the door slam behind him, closed by Knives' telekinetic powers. His features took on a slightly panicked look.

In a last ditch attempt to save himself, he swerved the conversation to a topic he knew would distract his brother. "So how's the research going?"

He could tell that his brother knew what he was doing, but lucky for him Knives allowed the change of subject.

Knives gave him a smirk. He'd been wanting to talk to Vash about this certain topic since the idiot had arrived. "It's been very fruitful. I have some things written down in my journal that would even shake your sense of sentiment for the human species."

Vash's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Where did you go to get your information, anyway?"

"The bars," Knives answered casually.

The spikey-blond gave him an incredulous look. "What?! But the bars are the worst type of places. Going only to those areas makes your information a little biased, doesn't it?" His features changed to disappointment. "I mean, you could have gone elsewhere as well."

The older plant scowled at the scolding he was receiving. "I went to where the most accurate representation of humanity was."

Vash rounded on him. "You mean the most accurate version of humanity by _your_ standards?!"

"Yes! And I have catalogued a wealth of sins that the humans commit every day! The amount I've collected is more than enough to damn them!"

A frown marred Vash's face, his displeasure easily seen. He'd hoped that his brother would have been a little more open to both sides of humanity. Apparently, he'd been wrong. "Fine, Knives, I'll look at your notes later. Though I hope that you would at least judge them fairly before you become their executioner."

"Why not look at them now?" He asked in an annoyed voice. He was proud of his results, but even he had to admit that his own views had affected the research. As a scholar he found the entire thing unacceptable. Maybe in the future he would search out other areas to do his research.

"There's no hurry." Vash's entire outlook changed back to his normally happy self. "Besides, I can smell food!"

With that he rushed out the door, heading for the kitchen. Knives stared after him with a confused expression on his face. How had his brother been able to smell the food through the _tightly_ closed door . . . ?

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Translation:

senpai: senior, upperclassman


	12. A Full House

A/N: I know, it's been ages(yet again). I must really say thanks everyone who's stayed with this story and put up with my tardy chapter updates. You're all too kind.

On another note, I would like to recommend a story for al l of you to read. It's called Dark Convergence, and is the product of Dwellin and millythompson. Their story is so much better than mine. If you haven't read it, go, go now and read!

That's all from me.

Disclaimer: I do not claim Trigun in any way, shape or form. sobs

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Chapter 12: A Full House

Knives soon learned that his brother and the large human would be staying in Meryl's house for a few days.

It seemed that there was a problem with some plumbing in the large one's apartment. Something about a leak the size of a geyser . . .

Not that the situation mattered to him. He didn't care if she had to swim to breakfast. Not even when his brother calmly explained to him that he too would be living in the same apartment did he take back his opinion. If his brother was foolish enough to _want_ to live with her, that was his problem to deal with.

As for him, his personal space had just shrunk drastically with the escalating population in Meryl's house.

There were three bedrooms in the house, causing his brother to take the couch out in the living room. The small woman had attempted to give her own bed to Vash and justly so, he had thought. She should give up her comforts for a higher being. The fact that his brother had turned down her offer irritated him to no end.

He opted to stay in his own room until they had vacated the premises, but his brother hadn't wanted him to. So now he found himself sitting at the dining table with Vash, watching the two human females cook.

The irritated plant still desired to cook himself, but did not have the compulsion to provide food for the human called Millie. His brother's obvious like for the creature caused him to have an amount of hatred surpassing that of an average human. He supposed the humans might call it jealousy, but there was no way Knives would ever admit to himself that he was jealous of a human.

"Hey, Knives." He turned his attention to his younger sibling.

Vash had a hopeful look on his face and Knives instantly knew he wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"I was thinking," he began, twisting nervously in his seat, "maybe we should spend some time together tomorrow. You know, just the two of us."

Knives thought over his suggestion carefully. What Vash was proposing was something the two of them hadn't done in over one-hundred years. The last time they had been together in such a manner was back on the SEEDS ship, before they had gone their separate ways. He could see nothing wrong with the idea, though. If he was honest with himself, he could admit that he'd missed his sibling greatly.

"I will agree with your idea, Vash." The happy look on his face made his acquiescence worth it. "Where do you plan on taking this excursion?"

Before Vash could give him an answer, the girls were setting food on the table, interrupting their conversation. Even Knives never attempted conversation with the spikey-blond when food was set before him. It wasn't that he wouldn't talk to you, no, the problem was he would . . . with his mouth full.

After dinner the two of them were shooed out of the kitchen so the two women could wash the dishes in peace. Knives thought it unfair to push him out of the area, after all, it was Vash who was always getting in their way.

But the time gave him a chance to question Vash again on where they would be going tomorrow. His answer didn't exactly please him, being the ordered person that he was.

"I thought that we would just go where the wind takes us," the younger twin answered Knives as he sat on the sofa.

Knives sat himself in the armchair next to the couch. With just those two pieces of furniture the living room was crowded.

"That may be your way of handling things, brother," Knives shifted his long legs to adjust to the small space, "but I prefer more definite plans."

Vash leaned forward, placing his elbows on his bent knees and gave Knives a pleading look. "But Knives," he said in a whiney voice, "that's what you need. You're too high strung. You need to relax a little."

The light blond's lip curled in disgust. He hated it when his brother took on that simpering tone. It made him seem even more pathetic than that goofy look of his did. He was about to give his brother a tongue lashing for it when the girls arrived on the scene.

Millie sat next to Vash, causing the lip to curl even further. There were no other seats so Meryl sat herself on the wide arm of the chair Knives sat on. He gave her a questioning look and she frowned at him.

Before he had a chance to comment Meryl spoke. "This is my house and I'll sit where I want." Their eyes were about level and so were the glares they gave each other.

A slight 'ahem' from Vash and they turned away from each other.

Millie chose that moment to pipe up. "Meryl and I were going to go shopping tomorrow and we were wondering if both of you would like to come."

Unbeknownst to Millie's smiling face, both of the men had cringed at her words. They might have been social misfits, but even Knives and Vash knew what would happen if they were to accompany the insurance girls. Before the end of the shopping trip they would be reduced to nothing more than pack mules.

Surprisingly, it was Knives who answered Millie. "I'm afraid Vash and I have already made prior arrangements. It would be impossible for us to go." Knives put on what he hoped was a regretful expression.

"What kind of arrangement?" Meryl asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at Knives.

"We were merely going to spend some time together, woman. Not that it's any concern of yours." He told her testily.

Vash spoke up quickly, averting what could have turned into a verbal war. "Anyone for a drink?" A bottle of whiskey seemed to magically appear in his hand.

"I want one!" Millie cried out joyously.

Meryl declined the alcohol and Knives followed suit. This did not sit well with Vash and Millie. They protested that it wasn't any fun if only half of them drank. After much badgering and pleading on their parts, they finally convinced Meryl to have a few drinks. Knives was a little more stubborn, but Vash soon found a way to convince him into it.

"It's all right, Knives. If you can't hold your liquor, that's fine with us." He slanted a look at Knives who was sitting across the kitchen table from him. They'd moved because Millie had decided that drinking card games were in order. Knives had reluctantly followed. "We wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself when you started to get drunk from only a few drinks."

Said twin narrowed his gaze at his brother. He knew what Vash was attempting to do, trying to get him to drink by questioning his alcohol tolerance, but still he wanted to prove him wrong. "We'll see who can hold his liquor, brother," he said as he reached for one of the bottles on the table. Vash had brought more out of his bag.

Three hours later there were a large number of empty bottles sitting around the kitchen. At the table were two drunk insurance girls, an intoxicated homicidal maniac, and a nervous Vash. About half an hour ago Millie had announced that they would be playing a new card game, strip poker.

Being the only person whose brain was not addled by alcohol, Vash had protested, thinking that even in their current states Knives and Meryl would back him up. To his surprise they wholeheartedly agreed with Millie's plan.

He had tried to stop them, knowing that in the morning they would be just a little distressed if they were to wake up with less than their usual attire. The three of them had ignored his attempts and started the game.

He resignedly played with them. Later he could claim that he'd been drunk, too. They wouldn't be able to call him on it as he doubted any of them would remember this come tomorrow.

Now Vash sat with nothing on but his boxers, looking at a hand that, unless something miraculous were to happen, would make him the loser of this game.

Around him the others weren't really doing that much better. In their state concentration was hard to achieve and they'd ended up losing hands they usually wouldn't have.

To his right sat Millie. She'd been doing well at this game, which made Vash wonder how often she'd played it. Still, her proclamation that the air was hot had her taking off her clothes anyway. He was enjoying a view of her chest, still clothed in a bra but still distracting.

On his left Meryl looked much the same, but it was Knives who had him worried. He'd never seen him drink and the way he was acting was quite unlike is usual self.

The usually aloof and calculating Knives was gone, replaced by a man who appeared to thrive on competition. Not that his attitude had helped him out during the game. He was in as bad a shape as Vash.

Still, this game had its advantages. Since he'd taken off his shirt Millie had been giving him appreciative looks that for once made him not feel the usual embarrassment about his scars.

He'd also noticed something between the other two participants. Ever since Knives had taken off his own shirt, Vash had noticed Meryl giving him glances out of the corner of her eye. Vash had almost gone into fits when he'd realized that Knives had been doing the same to Meryl!

All-in-all this had been one interesting night.

Vash refocused his thoughts back onto the game, wishing fervently that luck was on his side right now.

Thirty seconds later he watched, dumbfounded, as he came up with a full house. Instead of him having to lose his last article of clothing, Knives was the one to put down the worst hand.

With a calm and resigned demeanor, he rose and placed his hands on the rim of his boxers. The girls watched, to Vash it seemed like Meryl was watching _too _closely, and in a last ditch effort to save Knives' modesty he knocked a half empty bottled over and onto the cards.

The distraction caused the other three to forget what Knives had been doing as they attempted to salvage the cards. After that Vash called it a night, bringing objections from his companions.

This time Vash ignored their protests and took a hold of Millie and led her to her room. He pulled back the covers and had her lay down. By the time he pulled the sheets over her she had fallen asleep.

With a sigh he staggered back to the kitchen to deal with the other two, feeling a little light-headed from the alcohol.

At the sight that met his eyes when he walked into the small kitchen, he stopped and then rubbed his eyes, thinking his intoxicated mind was playing tricks on him. After much rubbing he looked again, but the scene was still there, proving that it was indeed real.

Right before him was Knives and Meryl, and they were _kissing_! And it wasn't the casual kiss you'd give an aunt or something. This was a full, lip-locked, breathtaking kiss.

Knives was still sitting in his chair and sometime while Vash had been gone Meryl had made herself comfortable on his lap.

Seeing his brother in such a situation, and with Meryl no less, was something that would be forever burned in his mind forever. And this was definitely something he would have happily forgotten.

"Ahem." He hoped that the small noise would attract their attention, but they continued in their attempt to devour each other.

Growing more embarrassed, Vash opted for a more direct tactic. The golden blond slammed his palms onto the table, causing it to jump. The couple abruptly broke the kiss and stared at Vash in shock.

Vash smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair, wondering how he was going to handle this situation. "Uh . . . It's time for bed," he said lamely.

Like two children they pouted, but obeyed him, rising on unsteady feet and making their way to the bedrooms. Vash watched them go down the hallway before turning to his couch and falling wearily upon it. He was asleep within a minute.

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Late the next morning Knives felt himself wake up and wish that he hadn't. His head felt like he'd cracked his head against a cement wall several times. His mouth felt dry and stuffed, and he had this feeling that he wasn't alone . . .

A warm body moved against his and his eyes snapped open, only for him to close them on a groan as the sunlight intensified his headache. The small form beside his own cuddled even closer to him and he cautiously opened his eyes again.

Right below his chin was a patch of black hair. That meant that it could only be one person who was holding onto him like he was a large teddy bear.

He didn't know how they had ended up in his bed together, but he knew what he had to do.

Once up, he would kill his brother.


	13. Nightmare

A/N: Uh-oh. 00 I can't believe it's been _two months_ since I've updated...But I do have a legitimate reason and one word will explain everything. Classes. They've been absolutely horrible.

In other news I've done another one-shot called _Sandstorm_. Since this one had a lemon I didn't think it a good idea to put it up on Instead it's posted on my website. It is rated NC17 and I know I'm just talking to air, but people under the age of 17 aren't supposed to read it. So be responsible! Reviews would be welcome as well, as it is my first attempt at a lemon.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

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Chapter 13: Nightmare

Later that day Vash and Knives were walking casually down the street in a stony silence. No matter how many times Vash had apologized or pointed out how much of the incident was Knives' own fault for allowing himself to drink so much, his brother still refused to speak to him.

_Flashback_

The tautening of Knives' body when he'd realized that there was a certain raven-haired woman in his bed caused a reaction from said female. She shifted even closer to him, probably seeking his warmth or some such thing, he told himself.

He nearly jumped out of the bed as a thought struck him. What if he'd actually _slept _with her?!

Knives knew that his pants were still on, but what had happened to his shirt? There was only one way to know for sure, and that was to check and see if the woman was clothed or not.

With a tentative hand, he reached out and pulled the covers slowly away from her body. Unfortunately for him, Meryl had other plans. She gripped the sheets tighter around her body, thwarting Knives' attempt to move them away.

He silently cursed and decided to try a new tactic. One of his fingers began to glow faintly and had soon transformed into a tiny blade.

Knives knew that Meryl would have his head for ruining the sheets, but he felt that knowing the answer to his question was of greater importance than a measly piece of cloth.

The plant gently placed a hand on her shoulder to keep the woman from moving and accidently getting cut. He moved his other hand and starting from the top of the sheet that was between their bodies, began to slice through the material.

When Knives had gone as far as his arm could reach, he sat up slowly, careful not to wake his bedmate.

A minute later he breathed a sigh of relief as he shifted through the layers to see that Meryl did indeed still have her clothes on. Though he did notice that she seemed to be wearing less than usual . . .

Not willing to follow that thought further, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the headboard, dropping the blankets back into place.

Knives concentrated and began shifting through the bleary images that comprised last night. He knew that he'd drunk several bottles of alcohol and that they'd played several different card games. Rattling his brain further, the last thing he could recall clearly was the giant woman's suggestion for one last game . . . The name of it escaped him until he happened to look down at his bare torso.

The blond man groaned lowly in disgust and self-reproach. He couldn't believe that he'd actually agreed to play strip poker. That would undoubtedly be the last time he drank with either of those humans or his brother ever again.

So engrossed with his thoughts was Knives that he failed to notice that the other bed's occupant was slowly waking up.

Meryl had been having such a nice dream.

She had dreamed of a green landscape with trees and a lake, just like the ones she'd seen in books. In her dream, the young woman had been sitting peacefully on the shores of the lake, watching the light reflect off the water. She had been wearing only a sundress that matched the color of her eyes.

The vision had seemed so real to her. Meryl could have sworn that she'd felt the light material of the dress against her skin. Even the cool breeze that had blown across the water and stirred her hair had seemed tangible.

A feeling of contentedness had filled her entire being. Meryl couldn't remember ever having felt such calm.

A sudden urge to feel the water on her toes had prompted her to rise and step into the lake up to her ankles. The warm sand and cool water had been a delightful contrast and before long the small woman had ventured even farther until the water reached her knees.

Footsteps behind her attracted her attention and Meryl turned to see Knives standing on the bank, a blank expression on his face. He'd had on a white shirt and blue jeans. For some reason she had felt happy to see him there and had waved gaily to him.

That had been when the peaceful dream had changed into a dreadful nightmare.

Meryl had no time to react before she'd felt herself grabbed from behind by fleshy white appendages. They'd felt as soft as feathers, but the crushing force they exerted on her was bruising.

She'd called out to Knives for help as all of her limbs became trapped by the white tentacles.

To her utter horror, instead of coming to her assistance the Knives lookalike had turned his back on her and began walking away. His form swiftly disappeared into the fog that had appeared out of nowhere along the lake edge.

His obvious rejection had been like a physical blow to Meryl and the shock caused her to go slack in the creature's grasp.

She had little time to wonder on the enormity of her hurt before she was being whipped around by the forgotten tentacles.

Her already battered and confused feelings were given even more of a shock when she came face-to-face with what held her in its grasp.

The main body was that of a male, but the wings and appendages that held her and that protruded from his back instantly told Meryl that this was no human. His body was nude and his pale skin was as pale as snow.

Her eyes traveled up the strange form until they reached his face. A surprised gasp escaped her lips. Eyes the color of green grass and the dark, long blond hair of the creature reminded Meryl of Knives and Vash. Even the facial features, such as the aristocratic nose and thin eyebrows gave spurred her suspicions.

Any further perusal was interrupted when she felt herself being propelled toward the male. She stopped, with scant inches separating their bodies.

For a few moments they simply stared into each other's eyes. When he finally spoke, Meryl was once again struck by how much this person reminded her of the twins.

"So you are the one the twins care for?" The pitch of the voice was reminiscent of Knives but the tone was closer in resemblance of Vash. The question, however, completely confused her. Sure, she knew Vash cared for her as a friend, but as far as she knew Knives saw her as an annoyance.

Apparently the male wasn't expecting an answer, for he continued speaking.

"It matters not." He lifted a large hand and cupped her cheek. The bindings kept Meryl from flinching away from him like she wanted to. His touch was like ice that burned. "They will realize their misplaced feelings soon enough."

As his words trailed off he removed his hand from her person. In a burst of motion more tentacles burst from his back and wrapped around Meryl, slowly obscuring her sight and creating a cocoon around her. Their oppressive weight was steadily suffocating her and the last thing she remembered was the sound of his voice, penetrating the haze around her.

"Enjoy the time you have left with them. The end is not far off . . . "

With a small scream Meryl sat up as the contents of her dream hit her full force. Glancing around herself, she realized that she wasn't in her bedroom. The black-haired woman caught a faint movement out of the corner of her eyes and her jaw dropped when she saw Knives, his back was against the headboard and he was giving her a wide-eyed, almost frightened look.

It dawned on her that this was obviously the room she'd given him to use. A slight breeze against her person distracted her and she glanced down at herself. Her lack of clothing caused her to release a noise of distress and quickly grab the sheets to cover her half naked state.

With one hand protecting her modesty - or what was left of it - the other cradled her aching head. A groan of pain and embarrassment escaped from between clenched teeth.

Meryl surmised that the skull-splitting pain she was currently feeling was from the excessive drinking she'd done last night. On the other hand, how she'd ended up in Knives' bed was a complete mystery to her.

She snuck a glance at said plant from underneath her bangs and found him staring at her with a bored expression. Well, if he wasn't going to let this little mishap effect him, then neither was she.

The young woman raised her head defiantly and with as much dignity as possible while holding a sheet to one's body.

"What am I doing in _your_ room?" She began accusingly.

His eyes narrowed. "Should not that be _my_ question?"

"You're the superior being," she bit back, "Don't you remember what happened last night?"

Knives was unwilling to admit that he'd succumbed to the alcohol, so instead of answering her, he simply disentangled himself from the sheets. As he was against the wall, the plant was forced to stand on the bed and step over the petite woman, ignoring her angry stutters.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" she called to him as he walked up to his dresser and began picking clothes out.

He turned his head to give her a small glare. "I don't believe that I am under any obligations to answer your questions, _human_." That said Knives returned to searching for his socks, dismissing her and the subject.

Meryl gritted her teeth and rose in a furious huff, taking the sheet with her as an impromptu dress. Making sure not to trip over the long piece of cloth she stomped over to Knives and fiercely poked him in the back with a finger.

The look he gave her over his shoulder would have curdled milk. Unfortunately for Knives, Meryl was not a dairy product. She stood resolutely behind him, silently demanding his attention.

He gave it, but in a much more violent way than she expected. With inhuman speed he'd turned and gripped her throat, lifting the tiny woman until only her toes touched the ground. The hold was not choking, but his grip was firm and unmoving.

While one hand gripped the sheet to her body the other attempted, in vain, to pry him off of her. One look into his blazing eyes and the small insurance lady knew that she'd completely shattered all of his patience.

His arm yanked her closer until their noses were a hair's breath from each other.

"I have tolerated your presence long enough, human."

Knives' voice had gone positively frigid and his gaze so intense that Meryl looked away. The hand that was not holding her reached up and took her chin in a firm hold and forced her to look him in the eye.

"You believe that I actually care about what _you_ think?" A short derisive laugh followed. "You grossly overestimate your importance to me. You mean _NOTHING_ to me!"

His words were so vehement that Meryl felt them as a slap in the face. She knew that Knives did not like her, but she'd hoped that he might have held her in some type of high regard. Maybe even as a friend . . .

The pain as she hit the floor jarred Meryl from her thoughts, bringing into focus the full impact of his words.

All of her attempts to show Knives the good in humanity had completely failed.

Throughout Meryl's life she'd always been able to succeed in whatever she'd done. Sure, there were times when she'd had to try harder, but the young woman had always been confident in her success. But now that strength and determination seemed to have failed her completely. Knives was no different then when he'd first awakened after the twin's fight.

Footsteps approached her and she kept her eyes resolutely on the booted feet in front of her. Meryl knew that right now she couldn't take a full-on confrontation with the plant.

His words were terse. "You will not be here when I return." It was not a request.

That said he left the room, leaving Meryl feeling more alone than she could ever remember being.

_End Flashback_

His brother's voice broke into Knives' introspective thoughts.

"Are you going to be mad at me all day?"

He glanced at Vash from the corner of his eyes. "I find it a suitable punishment for your actions last night."

"But Knives," his tone had taken on the whiny quality that Knives detested, "that was as much your fault as mine. It's not like I forced you to drink all that alcohol!"

A low growl escaped said twins' throat at being reminded of his lack of self-control. "You were the one who coerced me into playing those ridiculous games."

"It's not like you didn't have fun." Vash smiled in remembrance. His thoughts started to drift on to what had happened between Meryl and Knives, not noticing that he was speaking aloud. "As a matter of fact you and Meryl looked pretty happy together."

In a matter of seconds Vash had been shoved into an alley and pressed against a stone wall by one of Knives' hands wrapped around his throat. The angry sibling's blue eyes were burning like coals and he was practically frothing at the mouth.

"What did you see?!" he demanded tersely. "So help me Vash, if you don't tell me I'll get the information out of that pathetic little human female!"

"She doesn't know anything!" the younger brother protested as he struggled futilely in his brother's grasp. "Both of you were too far gone to remember what happened!"

Knives scrutinized his brother for a few moments before abruptly pulling away. He turned his back to Vash, attempting to regain his lost control. Why did it always have to be the case that when the tiny human was involved he seemed to forget himself?

Vash watched his brother carefully as he rubbed his now sore neck. He'd noticed that his brother had been unusually tense the entire morning. A disturbing thought struck him.

Deciding to voice his thoughts, he asked, "Did something happen, Knives?"

The plant in front of him stilled until one would have mistaken him for a stone. In a cool and uncaring tone he said, "When I woke up this morning the woman was in my bed."

The broomhead was stunned. "You didn't . . . ?"

Knives cut him off as he whirled around and gave Vash his best glare. "Nothing happened. I was at least spared _that_ humiliation."

Vash let an air of relief escape him. He was also grateful, but his concern was more for Meryl than his brother. Though, now he was wondering what had happened when the two parties involved had realized the situation.

His curiosity got the better of him. "So, what happened when Meryl woke up?"

Normally Knives would not have answered his question. After all, he doubted Vash would have been happy to learn about his treatment of the human. As it was, his nerves were so frayed just thinking about the incident that he was responding before he had time to school himself.

"The foolish woman actually dared to question me. I simply reminded her of her place as a worthless insect."

Knives stopped his dialogue, seeing his brother's features twist into a glare reminiscent of his own.

"How could you do that, Knives?! She was probably confused and scared as she should have been! That wasn't the time to yell at her!"

One of his fists was clenched as if he meant to hit his brother. His shoulders were tense with restrained anger.

In truth, Knives believed that he might have actually deserved to be hit. Even with his hatred for the woman's species, he knew that his actions had been reprehensible. In his opinion he'd acted like a lowly human male would have.

Instead of beating his brother, Vash took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He gave his twin such a look of disappointment that Knives felt as if he had been physically hit. Much as he hated to admit it, his brother's opinion of himself mattered to Knives. Maybe he should think of a way to redeem himself . . .

The plant watched as Vash walked out of the alley, not caring to look back and see if his brother was following him.

Knives silently walked after him.


	14. To Right the Wrongs

A/N: Another hello to those of you still bothering to read this horrible fanfic. Not quite sure _why_ anyone still is . . . I know, it's been ages, again, since I've updated. Well, to tell you the truth, I hit a snag. To tell you how bad it was, just let me say I was seriously considering wiping all traces of my fics off of the face of it was that bad.

I feel horribly guilty every time I do this to you people and I don't really think my chapters are worth the wait.

Anyway, I hope that those of you still left will enjoy this chapter. I'd originally planned on more happening, but it turned out to be too long so now it'll be two chapters instead of one.

Now I need to go work on To Change You . . .

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Chapter 14: To Right the Wrongs

The two twins had resumed their walk, except that this time it was Vash who was silent and angry.

Knives followed in his wake, mulling over his actions this morning and a way to fix his brother's mood.

Knives had often ridiculed his twin about his perpetually cheery mood, but

seeing Vash angry instead of acting like his usual goofy self was somehow . . . wrong.

Rethinking his previous opinion, he decided that his brother was like a star. It glowed brightly, illuminating all of those around him and spreading the light. He watched as Vash suddenly brightened at the sight of a glowering human child.

The child and its mother had stopped in front of a store window, the parent peering inside. Vash stooped before the kid, giving her a large smile and making a funny face. The little girl let loose a stream of giggles at the man's actions. In turn this amused the mother, who smiled broadly and said a few kind words and walked away. Knives kept an eye on them as they left and was surprised when the woman bid a good day to a man passing by, causing that man to smile himself.

Strange how he'd never noticed before the effect his brother had on people. He supposed Vash could be compared to a star that spread its brilliance to anything it came into contact with. That light, in return, passed on to others.

Knives frowned as he thought about how that light would be extinguished by the humans and their tainted existence.

Yet . . .

Hadn't Vash been among these same parasites for the last 130 years? How had he lasted this long, continually giving away so much happiness and asking for none in return? Seeing a large smile on his brothers face gave him cause to think that maybe Vash gained his happiness by making others happy.

He wondered how his twin would react if there were no more humans around to give him such contentment.

Knives imagined his brother as he had been before, with drooping shoulders and head hung in obvious dejection. That image brought a painful pang in Knives' chest.

It was a foreign feeling, that pain. Rarely had he ever felt guilty for his actions. After all, that would mean that what he'd done was wrong and he couldn't admit to that. Everything he'd ever done had been for the greater good, whether it was for just the two of them or the entire plant population.

But if all of the humans were destroyed, as he had been trying to achieve in the last 130 years, Vash might lose his happiness . . .

He snorted at his own thoughts. Vash would be happier to be with his own species, he told himself. A small part of his mind whispered that he was deluding himself.

Suffice to say, Knives ignored it.

Right now, however, there were more important things to consider; like how he was going to appease his brother's anger. Though Vash was smiling, Knives knew that his brother was still mad at him for the way he'd treated the small human.

The two continued walking for a few minutes, Vash greeting people every now and then.

Eventually his brother stopped and turned to Knives, his smile fading slightly.

"Are you hungry?" he asked him.

Knives nodded his head.

Vash nodded in return and took off, heading toward one of the many buildings lining the street. The sign above it read _The Sandstorm Restaurant_ in large gold lettering. Inside was a whirlwind of activity. The employees were rushing around seating people, taking orders, and delivering food.

After a twenty minute wait, in which neither said a word, they were shown to a table. The twins had been seated near the back of the restaurant, in a secluded corner. It was an arrangement that Knives was grateful for.

Once again silence was a companion to the two plants. Neither spoke a word to each other as they perused the menus that had been placed on the table by their waitress. The only time they said anything was when she asked if they wanted anything to drink.

Having finished deciding on his order, Knives took the opportunity to observe the other customers in the restaurant.

The business was still exceedingly crowded, all of the tables were taken and most of the bar seats were filled. The noise of people talking, the clutter of dishware, and sound of food cooking coming from the kitchen filled the air.

The plant directed his gaze to the tables nearest theirs. One nearby area was occupied by two humans who appeared to Knives to be enjoying each others company immensely. A rush of jealousy flowed through him, jealous that they were happy with their companion while he didn't even have such a relationship with his brother.

He pushed the emotion aside quickly. Under no circumstances would he lower himself to feel jealous of a human.

Yet, he continued to watch the couple. As he stared, Knives noticed that their conversation had taken a decidedly negative turn. If his knowledge of human facial expressions was correct, then he'd have to say that the woman looked angry and hurt while the man had a decidedly apologetic look to him. The human male also looked extremely guilty.

Disturbingly enough, he was reminded of the current situation between Meryl and himself. Except, of course, that there wasn't any reason that he should be feeling guilty. No doubt the human male had said something inappropriate and Knives never did any such thing. What he'd told Meryl that morning had simply been the truth. If she let it get to her then that was the woman's problem.

Mentally nodding to himself, Knives returned to his perusal of the couple.

He let a small sneer cross his face as he saw that the man was trying to apologize to his companion. Such behavior made them seem like simpering creatures. Even if he didn't care for the human species whatsoever, he still thought that they should be able to conduct themselves in a less degrading manner, especially the males.

He watched with thinly veiled disgust as the man pulled something from his pocket and handed it to the woman. Whatever was in the tiny box must have been it caused a transformation on female's face. All of the anger seemed to leave her, instead replaced by a beaming smile and tears shining in her eyes.

Whatever it was, Knives mused, it was perfect for changing her mood. Now she was all smiles, hugging and kissing the man with fervor.

An idea struck him at that moment. Maybe if he were to give Meryl a present, she would forget about this morning's incident and his brother would forgive him. Of course, the gift wouldn't mean anything to himself, but as long as it did its job he would be happy.

But what to get her . . .

He turned his attention back to his sibling, debating over whether he should ask him or not.

Deciding that Vash would know more about Meryl's likes and dislikes than himself he chose to tell him of his plans, except for the part where he wasn't giving her the gift as an apology. Knives didn't believe that his brother would cooperate with him as well if he were to know that the gift wasn't being given for any other reason than to have Vash stop being angry with him.

He bided his time until they had each finished their meals before speaking of his plan.

When his brother had set down his fork after displaying some of the worst eating manners he'd ever seen, he spoke.

"Vash."

The person in question turned from his perusal of the restaurant and gave Knives his full attention. He was still sorely disappointed in his twin for his earlier actions, but Knives rarely spoke to him in public and only when he had something important to say. So he looked at his other half, waiting quietly for him to continue.

It was plain to Knives that Vash still wasn't happy with him, but if everything went according to plan, then he would soon be over it.

"I have decided to give the woman a gift." He'd spoken as if giving a briefing on stock statistics, but after a few moments of confusion those few words appeared to change Vash's entire countenance.

"That's great, Knives!" Vash cried exuberantly as he leaned forward in his seat. "I knew you weren't heartless enough to do something like that and not apologize."

Knives didn't even have to tell his brother who the "woman" was or the supposed reason why he was giving her anything. He disliked lying, especially to his sibling. Vash simply assumed that the gift was an apology for his treatment of her. So Knives let him believe what he wanted.

"So what are you going to get her?"

Pleased that Vash had already brought up the subject he was about to discuss, Knives told him that he did not know what she would want.

A mischievous smile crossed his twin's face, causing Knives to instantly become suspicious. He just knew his brother was up to something . . .

"Hey Knives," Vash asked with a casual air, "how much money do you have with you?"

Not sure where his brother was going with this, he told him that the total amount accumulated to around a few thousand double dollars.

At the news that his slightly psychotic sibling was carrying around that large a sum, Vash's jaw dropped in shocked surprise.

Knives watched as his brother glanced furtively around the restaurant before leaning across the table and speaking in a hushed, almost panicked voice. "What are you doing, carrying that much money around? You're not going on a trip or something, are you?" A suspicious glint entered his aquamarine eyes.

He gave the spikey-haired man an incredulous look. Knives thought the answer obvious. And it had nothing to do with him making a trip of any kind! "Of course not. I always have a large amount on me." His tone turned chastising. "Unlike you, dear brother, I like to be prepared."

Vash didn't even bat an eyelash at his brother's barb. He was used to them by now.

"Well it's a good thing," he commented, "because you'll need it if you're going to get a proper apology gift for Meryl." Vash fixed his brother with an accusing glare. "I'm sure you really hurt her feelings when you yelled at her. She may act tough on the outside, but Meryl's really a big softy underneath."

Knives snorted at Vash's statement, entirely unconvinced. There was no way that that woman had any degree of "softness" to her. _'Except for her small, perfectly rounded breas-' _The clinically insane plant did a mental double take, blinking in shock at his own thoughts. Where had _that_ come from?

The movement of a hand waving in front of his face snapped Knives out of his shocked daze. Vash was giving him a half-strange, half-nervous look, undoubtedly worried about his temporary lapse into himself.

"It's nothing," he assured him.

It was obvious that Vash wasn't wholly convinced but he let the matter drop.

"We should get moving if we're going to get Meryl a present," he told Knives.

Glancing at the establishment's clock, the plant realized that it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon.

"I suppose you're right," he conceded, tossing some money on the table for their meal and rising from his seat.

Vash followed and soon the two plants were standing outside of the restaurant. Knives looked to his brother, waiting for him to take the initiative and lead the way. From what he'd gathered from Vash's questions in the restaurant, his twin already had something in mind, though he was still somewhat wary of what that could be.

Said brother made a gesture with his hands, indicating that Knives should follow him.

He followed silently behind the other plant as they traversed the streets of December.

Finally, just when Knives had just about lost his patience with the broom-head and was going to ask where they were going, Vash stepped into a nearby shop.

Knives stood outside of the store staring at the sign and curling his lips into a grimace. The board above the large shop window clearly read:

_Dean Jewelers_

_Buy a gem for your own precious jewel!_

The catchphrase was disgustingly unappealing to him. Precious jewel indeed! Stupid humans and their idiotic need to romanticize their natural instinct to have a mate. Then they felt the ridiculous need to give each other tokens of their "affection". He felt the need to sneer at their ridiculousness.

That is, until he realized Vash's intentions.

Oh, no! There was no way on Gunsmoke that he was going to purchase such an expensive and useless gift for that woman!

Maybe he should have just bought her a bucket of ice cream or something . . .

He moved his sight to the doorway of the jewelry store to see Vash beckoning him inside. A small growl of annoyance rose in his throat and he speared his brother with his best glare, standing his ground stubbornly.

Unfortunately, Vash could be just as obstinate. Completely ignoring the death glare, he walked up to Knives and looked him straight in the eye. "Knives," he said in his best serious voice, "you have to get Meryl something like this."

"And why is that, dear brother?" The voice was frigid.

Undaunted, Vash answered, "Because you owe it to her. If it hadn't been for her, you would have had to have gone with me and Milly to her family's farm. And we both know what you thought of that. Meryl gave you a way out, opening her home to you and making you comfortable. This is the _least_ you could give her in exchange for all of that and more."

Both twins stared each other down for a minute or so, Vash waiting for Knives to make a comment and Knives . . . Well, he was carefully thinking over his brother's words.

As soon as Vash had pointed out all of the small sacrifices that the woman had made for him, especially when he knew she didn't care for him all that much, he'd almost cringed. Knives was unwilling to admit that the tiny human had done so much for him.

And more, a tiny voice told him.

And how had he repaid her, he asked himself? By treating her like dirt at every chance, came the unwanted answer. And then he'd abused her again this morning when he'd found her in his bed, knowing that he was as much at fault as she . . .

His actions, even to his human-hating self, were inexcusable. He'd criticized humans for their inhumanity, but his treatment toward his own hostess hadn't been much better. Not that he had to proclaim his undying affection toward her, but he could have at least been well mannered and polite, as was his duty as a guest.

This one time he would have to concede that he had been in the wrong and as an apology he would get the woman some jewels.

Though his brother's forgiveness would still be an added bonus . . .

"I will do as you wish," he told the other plant. That would be as close as would come to admitting that he had done anything wrong.

Vash recognized it for what it was and with a hearty slap on his brother's back he led the way into the small building.

There were rows of long, glass cases, filled with expensive-looking emeralds, diamonds, and other assorted minerals. If nothing else, it had been found that Gunsmoke had some large veins of such rare stones.

His brother swiftly directed Knives to a specific pair of small earrings. There were three round diamonds in each earring. They were meant to hang from the ear, much like the ones Meryl had now, with the smallest size of diamond on the top and the next two increasing in size.

Though Knives knew little of jewelry, even he could tell that the earrings were well-made. There were no price tags attached to the items and he called over a sales clerk and inquired as to their price.

The twenty-five-hundred double dollar price came as no surprise, though he saw his brother pale slightly. In actuality, he'd expected more. Nevertheless, the bill would hardly scratch the surface of his funds. Soon after he was walking out of the store, the small case that held the earrings in hand.

Now all he had to do was present his present to the woman and all would be well.

Too bad things never go as smoothly as we like them to.

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In case anyone is curious, the reference I used for the earrings can be found here: http// productdetails.asp?oid5750&catid15&filterid0&nav1diamondjewelry.asp&page1&col2&row4&pos11&setshape (take out the spaces)


	15. A Woman Scorned

A/N: Here's another installment of _Roommates_. I hope everyone likes it. Took me so long to get the darn thing out. Thanks for all the support from my last author's note. I'm kind of sorry, too. I sounded like a whiny little twit. Enjoy. Hopefully I'll get the next one out faster.

Disclaimer: I haven't really done one in quite a few chapters, so this one will count for them and any future ones I write. That way I'm free from having to do them. Free I tell you! cackles

Anyway, I don't own Trigun and REALLY doubt I ever will.

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Chapter 15: A Woman Scorned

Knives' original plan had been to present the earrings to the woman that evening. However, the plant soon found out that giving his gift of penance would be more difficult than he had expected.

After dinner, on the same day that he'd acquired the jewels, Knives attempted to find a time when Meryl was alone so that he could give her the items in private.

He had no desire for an audience. The situation would be degrading enough without others around to witness it.

Unfortunately, she had skillfully kept close to Millie whenever he'd been in the same room with her. The woman had barely even glanced at him and had not spoken a word to him, confining her conversations to Vash and Millie.

She'd even changed her bedtime habits to match those of her friend's so that she would never be alone. As the two were sharing a bedroom until the large one's apartment was cleaned, his task had been made even more difficult.

At first he'd been deeply offended, thinking on some level that she was refusing his gift. But he'd quickly realized his mistake when his mind pointed out that Meryl did not even know about the jewels; thus, she could not be avoiding him for that reason.

The only other conclusion to her avoidance of his person would be that she was now wary of him after his harsh outburst. With his sharp eyes he could tell that her body would tense up whenever he would enter the same room.

It was a complication that he had not foreseen, but one that he had complete confidence in overcoming. He'd simply wait a few more days until the large human and his brother left. Then there would be no more hindrances to his plan.

That idea, however, was quickly thrown out the proverbial window when they all learned that Millie's apartment wouldn't be ready for another two weeks.

Knives had no intention of waiting that long.

There had to be a way to get her alone . . .

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For the next few days he contemplated many ideas, all the while watching for any opportunity to present itself. But the young woman was as methodological as himself when she worked for something. And her goal just so happened to be the avoidance of himself.

In the morning, she and the large female would go to work and come back together in the evening. Then she'd stick to either Vash or Millie for the rest of the time, leaving him no opportunities to speak to her. The times that they happened to be in the same room she would studiously ignore him, as if he weren't there.

His annoyance rose as the days went by. He wasn't a being that was used to being ignored and the situation-and her-were quickly beginning to annoy him.

Eventually the plant decided that drastic measures would need to be taken or she would come up with something else to thwart his attempts to speak with her.

For an entire afternoon he lay on his bed, ignoring his brothers knocks and staring at the ceiling, making plans.

First off, he decided, he would need to enlist his brother's help. Loathe as he was to do so, Knives knew that Vash's assistance would be integral to his mission.

That evening, when he went to dinner, Knives felt more like himself, now that the situation was firmly in hand.

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The next day, when the two girls were at work, he approached Vash with his plan. At the beginning his brother was hesitant, but with a little coaxing he finally agreed to help him. Knives simply told him that giving the jewels was his plan in the first place and that he had a duty to help Knives give them to Meryl.

Besides, it wasn't like he was going to hurt her or anything . . .

With that hurdle crossed, Knives made the rest of the necessary preparations.

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The trap was sprung on the following Saturday.

As was agreed between the twins, Vash took the large female on an outing for the day into the main districts of the city. The broom head had asked her the day before and sworn her to secrecy, claiming he didn't want anyone else to come along.

If Millie suspected anything, she kept it to herself.

They left at an early hour, long before Meryl was to awaken.

Knives watched them as they walked down the street and out of sight. He mentally checked off another item on his list of things to do and then went about completing the others.

By the time Meryl was awake, Knives had the trap fully set up.

He listened as she went about her daily routine, hearing her move about her room and then to the bathroom, turning on the water and taking a shower. Then she went back to her room and then he heard her footsteps on the stairway, her dainty steps barely made a sound even to his heightened hearing.

From where he was sitting on the couch, doing absolutely nothing but sitting there, he could see her as she came down the hallway from her bedroom. As predicted, at the sight of him she quickly looked around the room, no doubt searching for the other two occupants of the house.

Her complexion paled slightly as she realized that no one was in the room but him. Meryl directed her attention to the kitchen, her movements almost panicked. Seeing no one in there, she looked back to Knives. If anything, he decided, her skin had become even whiter.

He was fearing that she'd faint and he'd have to get up and catch her, she was so pale, when Meryl spoke to him. It was the first words she'd directed at him since the incident.

"Where are Vash and Millie?"

Her voice shook only slightly, attesting to how much she was willpower she had, since he knew that she wanted nothing more than to run from his presence.

The thought was startling and more than a little disturbing. He felt something- guilt, maybe?-that this usually strong woman had been brought to this state, and all because of his actions.

"They are gone. They left early this morning and plan on spending the day together, so the two of them won't be back until late evening." His tone was mild and uncaring, though on the inside he felt his gut twist. Vash spending the day fawning over a human female; definitely not one of his favorite parts of the plan.

Now Meryl was doing a fine job of imitating a ghost. If Knives hadn't known that she usually wore almost no makeup, he could have sworn that she'd applied a thick layer of white cream on her face, her complexion was so pale.

"But they didn't mention anything to me . . . " she spoke up, her voice no more than a whisper.

He wasn't sure if she was speaking to herself or him, but he answered her anyway.

"Vash wanted it to be a surprise for Millie."

The lie fell smoothly from his lips. After all, it was for a good cause.

"I see."

And he saw. He saw the way her eyes were nervously flittering around the room, roaming over everything but him. He also watched as her body shifted and tensed alternately.

In a swift move she turned her back to him, making ready to retreat back to her room.

"Wait."

The command irritated her, he could tell, but she halted; her back was facing him.

It was the best response he'd gotten from her in over a week and he wasn't going to waste it.

"I believe there are some things we need to discuss." His tone was low, almost soothing, the desired effect to calm her down.

It worked minimally.

Without moving she said, "Well, I _know_ that there is nothing to say," and continued walking down the hallway.

He didn't bother getting up and follow her; she'd soon be back.

Knives was right; she returned quickly, and in a foul a mood as he'd ever seen her.

"You locked all the doors, didn't you?!"

She was like a raging fireball heading his way. A lesser man would have ducked his head and protested his innocence in a pathetic stream of words.

Knives simply sat there, awaiting her tirade.

She stomped right in front of him, her chest heaving, hands on her hips. At that moment Meryl was the epitome of the wronged female.

"Well!?"

The plant resisted a reflexive wince at her shrill tone.

He sat up a little straighter, feeling a little uneasy with her towering over him, for once; though she was barely taller than him, even sitting down.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Our conversation wasn't finished."

Her jaw dropped wide open in shock. "Our conversation . . . " she echoed. Then her left eye started twitching. "Maybe you didn't get the hint, but I didn't wantto talk with you!"

One eyebrow rose arrogantly. "So I've gathered, from the way you've been avoiding me for the last week."

Her face shifted closer to his until they were almost nose to nose. "It was more than apparent from our last conversation that you wanted nothing to do with me." She stood up straight again. "Now if you'd please, open the doors."

"No."

She slashed a hand in front of his face in frustration. "And just why not?"

Now his anger was starting to get the best of him. "I have waited over a week for an opportunity to speak with you. I will not let you dismiss me so casually, human."

Meryl looked about ready to start the argument of the century when she suddenly stilled. Not even an eyelash moved. "Are you saying," she said slowly, "that you planned this?"

This time he did flinch. She wasn't supposed to have figured it out!

"So I am right." Smugness colored her words liberally.

He wanted to growl . . . or strangle her. Both options he knew were out of the question.

"And if you are? You certainly didn't leave me any other option, hiding like you were behind Vash and that other human."

She crossed her arms. "I have not been hiding! I just didn't want to talk to you."

"Tsk, tsk, Ms. Stryfe. It is not wise to lie to oneself."

"Shouldn't you be saying that to yourself, the self-proclaimed God?"

The conversation wasn't developing at all in the direction he'd planned. He hadn't expected her to be so difficult, or maybe she'd been more affected by their argument, or more precisely his words, than he'd thought. Time to try a new tactic, one he knew would throw her for a loop. Knives began by relaxing his overly tense body, setting his anger aside.

"This is getting us nowhere, Meryl. There is no need to get angry or defensive. That was not my intent." She opened her mouth to speak, but his raised hand and stopped her. Meryl gave him a deep frown, but allowed him to continue.

"The entire reason that I orchestrated this meeting was to apologize." Hmm . . . he didn't know humans' eyes could get that large . . . "I have realized that as a guest in your house there are certain allowances I must give you."

Wrong thing to say, he realized, as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

He plowed on with the speech he'd rehearsed for the last few days. "My words were grossly unwarranted and as such I have chosen something which . . . ," his jaw clenched slightly in a grimace, "I hope you will accept as my apology."

The words had seemed perfect in his head, but out loud, and to a human female, they made him feel like a groveling idiot. Reminding him, oddly enough, of his brother.

What a frightening thought.

She'd better not ask him to repeat that or so help him he _would_ strangle her.

Brought back to the matter at hand by a polite cough, he blinked and then dove a hand into his pocket, producing the small box holding the earrings.

He handed it over to her without a word and watched her face as she cautiously took the box and opened the lid.

Stunned surprise would have been the best interpretation of the look on her face. Knives let out the breath he'd unconsciously been holding as her initial shocked look turned to one of delight.

Meryl slowly lifted her gaze from the earrings and looked him straight in the eye. "Thank you, Knives. Apology more than accepted. You really didn't have to get me anything, though. An apology was more than enough. But thank you. These are lovely." A brilliant smile lit up her face, surprising him with its intensity. How long had it been since anyone had ever given him such a look? Legato alone had smiled at him, and even then there had been fear and a guardedness about it.

It was . . . refreshing, he decided.

He didn't tell her, of course. Wouldn't do for her to know he found her smile pleasing. Definitely not. So Knives nodded in return and rose, mumbling about having something else to do and walked to his room, closing the door behind himself.

The insurance lady watched him as he scurried away, avoiding her gaze and seemingly forgetting about her altogether. But she knew better. The poor man had been embarrassed and like any other male had, instead of facing his feelings, made up an excuse to run from the situation.

She looked at the earrings again, by far the most beautiful she'd ever had, then regarded his bedroom door again.

In a voice no louder than a whisper, she said again, "Thank you, Knives."


	16. When Things Fall Apart

A/N: Another chapter. Been sitting on it for about a month. Went to parent's house for the summer, so no internet. But here it is! Thanks for all those who reviewed my last chapter and continue to read, even with the long wait in between updates.

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Chapter 16: When Things Fall Apart

When Vash and Millie returned later that day, they found an entirely different atmosphere waiting for them.

Though only Vash had known the details of the fight, both could easily feel the tension that hung in the air, emanating from the couple. Entering the house, the two of them could automatically feel the difference in the air. They shared a secret look between themselves and happily strode into the living room.

Meryl was sitting on the couch, reading a book and generally relaxing. She looked up as they entered the room, smiled in greeting, marked her page and closed the book.

"Hi you two. Did you have a nice day together?"

"It was great, Meryl!" Millie chirped up. "Vash and I went and looked at all of the stores downtown and he was so nice he volunteered to carry my packages."

Meryl looked at the impressive mound of wrapped parcels sitting by the door. A brave man indeed.

Millie was continuing with her monologue. "Oh! Then we went to a toma farm where Vash tried to ride one but couldn't seem to sit on it facing the right way, even though he tried about a hundred times and then-Hey, Meryl, what's so funny?"

The woman in question had her arms wrapped around herself and was gasping for breath. As her partner had been talking, she'd been observing Vash and had watched as he gingerly walked into the kitchen.

The sight of Vash limping, his stride bowlegged, combined with Millie's story and she found herself giggling uncontrollably. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this happy.

The couple stared at her, identical smiles on their faces. Both of them were overjoyed that Meryl had finally gotten out of the funk that she'd fallen so deeply into.

At long last Meryl dried the tears that had leaked from her eyes, her laughter had been so potent.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, Millie. It's just . . . your story was so funny, and it's so easy to imagine Vash doing it."

Vash pretended insult, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. "I can't believe that you would think that of me, Meryl. I happen to be an excellent toma rider. It's just that the animals don't seem to like me." His tone turned conspiratorially. "Just between the three of us, I think they're out to get me."

He winked in a playful manner and all three of them burst out laughing.

After they had laughed themselves out Meryl helped them unpack, and then she and Millie went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Of Knives, he'd not been seen nor heard from the entire time they'd been there.

With the girls occupied, Vash took the opportunity to look in on his brother.

He found him laying on his bed, staring at the white ceiling. To the casual observer he might have looked relaxed, but Vash's trained eyes showed a different story. The peace-loving twin knew that the moment he'd started down the hallway toward the bedrooms, his brother had been readying himself for an interrogation of sorts, mentally preparing himself.

If anything, Knives had always tried his hardest to prep himself for any encounter he might have with anyone, even his own twin.

As for Vash, he wished that his brother would be more open with people, rather than hiding himself away below layers of coldness and an air of superiority.

Then again, that was part of the reason he'd sent him with Meryl. Certainly Millie was purity incarnate, but Meryl was more up Knives' alley. She had that down-to-earth, no-nonsense, firmly-rooted-in-reality aura about her. Something Knives could obviously relate to.

He raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Knives! How did your talk with Meryl go? She looks happier and the house is in one piece, so that kind of tells me that everything went well."

Without moving a muscle he said, "It did."

The words were obviously meant to end the conversation. But Vash being Vash, he plowed on.

He shifted so that his body was leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, come on Knives!" Vash said, his tone inquisitive. "You have to give me more info than that! What happened?"

A grumpy frown formed on the other twin's face and he abruptly sat up. He set his eyes on Vash and stared at him with an incredulous look for a few seconds. "You do know," he asked slowly, "that you sound exactly like the type of human females they call gossips, correct?"

The plant in question dramatically held a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Why Knives!" he exclaimed, "I'm hurt that you would think me such a person. As if I would deliberately weasel information out of you, my own brother."

The look of disgust on Knives' face made him want to chuckle. A direct hit. At the very least he was getting a reaction out of him.

"I do believe your calling was to act the fool, brother," he quipped. "Or at least I hope you're acting," he muttered underneath his breath.

"What was that, Knives?"

"Nothing."

"But I could have sworn you'd said something."

"Your hearing has deteriorated with age."

Vash gaped at him. "Are you calling me _old_?!"

"If the shoe fits . . . "

"Now see here, Knives. I'm pretty sure you're the older twin." Outwardly the spiky-haired man had a frown on his face, but inside he was jumping for joy. When was the last time they'd had this type of brotherly exchange? He sure couldn't remember.

Knives opened his mouth for a retort but at that moment Meryl popped her head into the room, informing them that dinner was almost ready and if they wanted any, they would have to set the table.

As she strode back down the hall toward the kitchen both twins stared at one another, one looking disgusted, the other faintly amused.

"You heard the lady." Vash turned and strode out of the room.

Grumbling under his breath about uppity human females, Knives unwillingly followed.

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A melodic yet utterly masculine voice was chuckling over how well his plans were developing.

Soon his years of planning and plotting would come to fruitation. Then he would finally be able to come out of the shadows and wreak justice onto the face of Gunsmoke.

And he would start with one simple human female.

As another bout of maniacal laughter took him, a small picture fell from his fingertips. The photograph floated down to the metal floor, landing face up.

If one were to have glanced at it, they would have seen the figure of a tiny, dark-haired woman upon its surface . . .

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The chatter over dinner was much more animated than it had been of late. Instead of a few half-hearted chuckles, now there were bouts of laughter. The suppressed feeling in the air that had choked any conversation had evaporated. There were more talking and the people at the table were louder, even Knives.

Millie gave a detailed account of her day with Vash and also reminiscing about their traveling days. A few of which were very embarrassing scenes for him.

As she told a funny tale about him, a bottle of whiskey, and a particularly poky cactus, Vash told himself that he'd have to ask her that in the future she refrain from telling these stories to his brother. He really didn't want his twin teasing him about them later, and from the mischievous look in his blue eyes, Knives was going to take full advantage of his embarrassment.

Eventually it was time for bed and everyone sauntered off to their respective bedrooms.

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The next day, Sunday, was spent leisurely by the two plants and human females. They did nothing extraordinary, nor did they bore themselves to death with their activities. The grocery shopping was accomplished, cleaning was done, and the occasional argument sprang up between Meryl and Knives.

All in all, it was a perfectly ordinary day.

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The next day went along in the same fashion.

The girls went off to work and Vash and Knives held down the fort, as it were.

This continued on for the next week, nothing interrupting their lives in the least. That is, until the next Friday when they were told that Millie's apartment was finally livable again.

It was a hectic weekend with everyone moving Millie and Vash's items from Meryl's house to the big girl's apartment. Even Knives joined in, though his brother knew that it was only because this would mean that Vash could no longer bother him 24/7.

It took them all until late Sunday to get everything moved and in order.

Late that evening there was something of a heartfelt moment from the girls. Oh, they knew that they would see each other on weekdays and most times on the weekends, but they had been with each other so long, Millie's brief vacation with her family not withstanding. But both also realized that this would be a step in the right direction. They needed to get their lives back on track when they'd stopped them to go after the infamous Vash the Stampede.

The two brothers were having a moment of their own, though theirs was less cheerful and more tense. That is, until Vash launched himself at Knives and gave his brother a big hug.

Knives endured the show of affection and even halfheartedly patted Vash on the back.

Eventually the goodbyes were all said and Meryl and Knives were left standing there as Vash and Millie walked out of sight.

With a mumbled "Good riddance," Knives strode into the house, leaving Meryl alone outside as dusk settled.

The street was deserted except for herself ,and as she stood there Meryl felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The feeling as if she were being watched crept over her and she glanced around, looking for anything or anyone that could be causing the sensation. Still, no one could be seen, even as the feeling persisted.

It was at that moment that the nightmare she'd had returned in its entirety. She'd futilely tried to forget about it, but unlike other dreams it had remained whole and fresh in her memory. Why she was suddenly thinking about it now, she had no idea, but she wasn't going to keep on standing there.

She followed Knives into the house and firmly closed the door behind her.

---------------------------------------------

As soon as Meryl went inside a shadow of someone in the alley across the street shifted. The figure didn't move for a full minute, and one had the impression that it was watching the house.

Then, as quietly and mysteriously as it had come, the shadow melted back into the darkness of the alley.

---------------------------------------------

Meryl found the next couple of days very strange. Without Millie and Vash in the house it was much quieter. Knives had never been an outspoken person, especially in her presence, but to her it seemed as if he had retreated back into a shell of silence.

The few times they even saw each other, such as during the dinner meal, he barely said a few words to her. And whenever she tried to converse with him, such as by asking him questions, he only gave one-word answers that succeeded in killing any and all communication.

He also resumed going out after dinner and not returning until the early hours of the morning. And he was never awake when she left for work.

She was somewhat distressed by his behavior, for it appeared to her as if he had taken a giant leap backward on the way to better understanding humanity.

Nothing she tried seemed to make any difference. Even the occasional visit from Vash did nothing.

But she persevered in spite of her lack of progress and held out hope.

---------------------------------------------

The city of December had had its share of fires over the last 140 years or so since it had been founded. But the inferno that engulfed it two weeks later was larger than any before it.

People had gone to bed one night, to wake up the next morning and find that several buildings had already been lost to the blaze and more were in danger.

Every available man was asked to fight the fire, and they kept it contained until the wind picked up the next day. It seemed to come up out of nowhere and they lost control of the fire almost immediately.

It was a Saturday and Meryl had the radio on, listening to the news of the blaze when Vash burst into the house. He was covered in ash and dirt and it didn't take much for Meryl to guess he'd been helping with the fire. The filthy man marched past her, barely waving a hand in greeting as he went straight to Knives' room. Two minutes and a few angry and loud words later, he was dragging his twin out of the house with him, promising to bring him back as soon as he could.

That night they still hadn't returned.

Like all of her neighbors, Meryl stood out on her porch and watched the red glow on the horizon. It was horrifying to think that somewhere not-so-very-far-away, buildings were being eaten by flame and people were fighting desperately to save others. Then there was the overall chaos that was reigning around the fire areas. Looters were supposed to be rampant. As always, moments such as these brought out the worst and best in people.

She cringed as a flame shot high into the air, as if announcing to all that it was alive and well.

Finally, when the hour was reaching midnight, she left the red sky behind and sought her bed.

---------------------------------------------

It couldn't have been more than two hours later when something jolted her out of a peaceful slumber.

She had no idea what could have awoken her, for the house was perfectly silent. In the distance, though, she could hear shouts. Meryl slowly got up, put on a bathrobe, and walked to her window. Outside she could see men running up to houses and knocking on the doors. They exchanged a few words with the people inside the houses and then went to another one. A knock on her own had her racing to the front door.

A disheveled young man stood on her doorstep, panting slightly.

She looked at him, patiently waiting for him to regain his breath. He took a great gulp of air and then spoke words that froze the blood in her veins.

"Got to pack up, miss. Fire's coming this way. Pack only what you can carry with you."

His job done, he quickly moved onto the next house, leaving Meryl standing there in stunned shock.

A loud sound brought her out of her daze and she stepped out onto her porch and looked to where the fire had been seen earlier. Instead of a red haze in the distance she could now distinctly see flames spiking up into the air not more than 10 blocks away.

The sight of buildings burning in the distance brought her into action and she raced back into the house and swiftly scrambled into different clothes. She packed a suitcase with some of her clothes and tiny objects that held some importance to her. Then she ran into Knives' room and did the same with him. Even going so far as to pack his journal which she knew he hid under his pillow. She'd found it there after cleaning his room once.

Having gotten everything she would need, Meryl walked as fast as she could with the luggage to the front door, but stopped dead in her tracks just as she stepped into the living room. There, sitting on her couch with his legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, was a man. And not a normal man.

Instead of fingers the meager light in the room bounced off of metal that started at his wrists and ended as blades, like knives, well beyond his fingertips. She could see the same for his feet; metal covered them as well and ended at spiky points.

His costume was very dark, so much so that he blended well into the blackness of her living room. His equally dark hair, which was slicked back and flowed onto the couch, only added to the effect. She never would have noticed him if it hadn't been for the glint of light on metal.

He turned to look at her as she entered the room and with the small amount of light, she could only make out a long face with an aristocratic nose, thin lips and eyes that matched the rest of him. They must have been a shade of brown so dark that they could almost have been called black, they were so hard to see.

And the most frightening part about him to Meryl was that he reminded her of the small army that Knives had assembled, the Gung-ho-guns.

Her surprise had paralyzed her and he was the first one to make a move.

He unfolded himself from the sofa and stood. He was tall, as tall as Vash and Knives so that he towered over her, but lankier. His limbs were longer than normal for a human. His hands almost reached his knees!

A small smile appeared on his lips and he gave a mocking bow. "I will be escorting you this evening, Miss," he stated in a voice that was soft and deep, like dark velvet, which fit him perfectly.

His words brought her to action and in a move that must have caught him unaware, she hurled the suitcase at him and made a dash for the door. Whatever it was he wanted, she knew that she wanted no part in it.

Meryl made it out onto the porch and in a rash decision headed toward the fire. She hoped that maybe, in all of the confusion of people running and all the firefighters, she could lose him.

She might have succeeded, if she'd been dealing with a regular human.

The young woman had run a block when out of the corner of her eye, on the top of a building across the street to her right, movement caught her attention.

Even though she'd only seen him once, she recognized the long form as the man who'd been in her house. Of all things, he was carrying her suitcase. Not that the extra weight seemed to be slowing him down any.

She knew that he was toying with her, letting her think that she was escaping and just waiting to catch her and do who-knew-what with her.

But she wouldn't let that happen, Meryl thought with hardened resolve.

At the next alley she ran until she had almost passed it and then took a sharp turn to left. The small woman raced up the alley and then crossed the next road, hoping that maybe he wouldn't be able to jump the distance of the street.

She was getting closer to the fire. As she continued in a straight line down the next alley and came out onto the next street, Meryl stopped and saw that the blaze was burning just down the block. There was a crowd of people busy using hoses and bucket brigades starting from a nearby well working to control the flames.

Even from this distance she made out the tall forms of the twins as they worked side-by-side. She had taken a step toward them when a form dropped in front of her.

Meryl jumped backward and eyed him warily, gasping for breath after her hard run and desperately looking for a way to get around him.

He lifted a single clawed finger in the air and waved it back and forth. "Tsk, tsk, Miss. You really shouldn't go around without the proper protection. You never know what type of unsavory character you might meet on the streets."

Before she could give a retort or even cry out he moved and with one of his sharp claws, nicked her on the exposed arm. Then he stepped back and simply looked at her.

She stared at the small wound as a bead of blood came to the surface.

A wave of lethargy hit her like a tidal wave and she felt herself sway and then her knees buckled from under her. From behind someone grasped her and swung her over their shoulder in one swift move.

Meryl tried to ward off the effects of whatever had been on his claw, but the drug was strong and she fell unconscious in less than half a minute.

---------------------------------------------

As Meryl slowly woke up, she noticed immediately that something was wrong. For one thing, she wasn't in her bed. Instead of a soft mattress beneath her she could feel a hard floor covered in a soft material.

Then there was the smell. The odor of chemicals lingered in the air. She couldn't begin to guess what they were, but they certainly weren't your everyday household cleaners.

Memory was slow in returning and it was only when she had finally succeeded in opening her eyes, they'd felt like lead weights, that everything came streaming back in a wave of pictures.

She sat up with a gasp and her gaze darted around the large room she found herself in. Meryl had the sense of a metal floor covered in lush carpets and tall metal walls. But when her eyes settled on the person behind her, who was sitting on the only piece of furniture, all thought stopped.

It was her nightmare come to life. Or rather, the _man_ in her nightmare.

A smooth voice spoke and penetrated the stillness in the air. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Stryfe."


	17. Missing

A/N: Yes, it has only been weeks since I updated rather than months! A miracle has occurred! Everyone rejoice...or not. A lot of you didn't like the cliffy, hmm? Then you're going to absolutely KILL me for this chapter.

And I have over 300 reviews! Wahooo! Thanks guys! Never really thought I'd get this far and all the credit goes to those who have stuck with me and given me such great reviews!

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Chapter 17: Missing

The final flame had been extinguished and now only ashes remained. The wind that had come out of nowhere and caused the fire to explode to an enormous size had left just as quickly, giving them the opportunity to gain the upper-hand.

A great cheer went up around the twins as everyone celebrated. All around them were dirty, smoke-smelling people, their teeth flashing white against their black faces.

Vash turned to his brother and gave him a hearty pat on the back. He received a growl in reply. Knives was not happy with his twin at the moment. He was filthy, tired and surrounded by foul-smelling humans; his life couldn't get any worse.

The two of them left the happy crowd and made their way back to Meryl's house, which was nearby. The building was silent and dark when they reached it, and, strangely enough, the door was wide open.

Knives had never known her to do such a thing. Meryl was always meticulous and locked the door when she went to bed. And she had to have gone asleep, or else the lights wouldn't be off.

Something was definitely _not _right. He could feel it.

They looked at each other, both thinking on the same wavelength. Cautiously they stepped through the door. In the darkness they could just make out the furniture in the living room and as they stepped farther into the room, Knives noticed clothes strewn about the floor. He immediately went to inspect the mess and found a large suitcase nearby. Some of the items were his, he noticed, and the rest were Meryl's. But why were they here . . . ?

As he was pondering this, Vash came back from inspecting the rest of the house. "Knives, she's not here." His voice was small, with a hint of fear. Fear, Knives knew, that was for the small human.

He reached out his hand and moved some of the clothes until his hand hit something solid. He grasped it and pulled out his journal. The plant stared at it, as if willing the tiny book to tell him what had happened here.

Outside, they heard a young man shouting. His voice drifted to them and they heard him say, "You don't have to evacuate after all, folks. The fire is out!"

While people were yelling their thanks and crying out their joy, another piece of the puzzle fit together in Knives' mind. So that's what all of this stuff was doing out here, but _where_ had the woman gone?

Gasping breaths came from the doorway and he and Vash looked to see Millie standing there, holding her side. She raised a hand in greeting, a big smile on her face. "Hi Vash, Mr. Knives." The big girl glanced around in confusion. "Where's Meryl?"

It was at that moment that Knives was absolutely certain that something bad had happened to her. Even if she wasn't here, she should have been with Millie.

As Vash questioned the other human about Meryl, he stood up, journal in hand. A piece of paper fell out of the book and he blinked at it, for surely he didn't remember placing anything in there. He bent and picked it up with the other two still talking at the door.

They weren't looking at him, but the cold stillness that emanated from the plant caught their attention. His blue eyes were like chips of ice and his face looked as if it had been chiseled in stone. The paper in his hand was crumpled from the grip with which he held it.

Vash walked up to him carefully. "Knives?"

Without saying a word, his brother thrust the paper at him and turned his back to him. The tense muscles in his brother's shoulder told Vash exactly how angry he was. He looked down at the paper in his hand.

In a clear, decorative script it read:

_As I'm sure you've figured out, Knives, your little human is not there. _

_She is here, with me, as my guest. That is, until I kill her._

_So, if you wish to see her one more time, then I suggest you go to your old ship._

_A representative of mine will await you there._

_With love,_

_Dominic_

Vash turned to his brother, his mouth open but no words came out.Finally he found his voice and asked him, "Who is Dominic?"

"I don't know." Knives moved his head and looked out the window at the approaching dawn. "But," he continued in a deadly voice, "I will find out."

---------------------------------------------

Even though the letter had specifically addressed Knives, both Vash and Millie made to go, as well. He didn't object.

They started out the next afternoon. The twins had wanted to leave in the morning, but Millie had wisely told them that they needed to rest, at least a little. So after their nap, during which time neither had slept much, the three of them headed out, going east.

Millie had gone to a local dealership and rented a jeep for them to use. Knives drove, as he was the only one who knew where they were going, with Vash in the passenger seat and Millie in back.

It took them a week to reach the ship, one tense, stressful week. Conversation was scarce between Vash and Millie, limited to only a few words. Knives didn't say anything at all. On everyone's minds was Meryl, though maybe not for the same reasons.

Both Vash and Millie worried constantly about their friend. Neither of them knew who had taken her or why, but it couldn't bode well for Meryl.

Knives, on the other hand, was quite furious that someone would use the female human to try and blackmail him. He wasn't going to retrieve the woman, no. He was going to show whoever had kidnaped her that he wouldn't be manipulated.

On the seventh day the enormous structure of lost technology came into view. It was nestled within a large rockface. When it crashed, most of the ship had sunk beneath the sands, intact, but inaccessible from above unless one went inside.

Once sighted, Knives had driven so that they approached the ship from the side, so that no one around it would be able to spot them easily. He parked and the three of them did a last-minute check of their weapons and items. The brothers carried their twin weapons and Millie had her trusted stun-gun with her. Along with that was water and food, just in case they had to wait.

Cautiously they approached their destination, Knives leading the way followed by Millie and then Vash.

After about a half-hour of walking they had reached the entrance. There had been no sign of anyone else around but them. The short-haired plant had even been using his plant abilities to sense any other life forms around them.

At the door Knives stepped forward and punched in the entrance code, then quickly moved back as the door opened with a swoosh. No one was standing on the other side and he carefully stuck his head inside.

There were several hallways, but only the one on the right was lit. The last time Knives had been here he distinctly remembered having all of the lights on. He walked inside, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. Vash and Millie followed.

They stood there for a second. All of them knew that they were supposed to go down the lit corridor, but the possibility of a trap was very real. Though, in the end, they didn't really have much of a choice.

The two plants and Millie treaded carefully, on the lookout for any sign of danger. They came to several places where they had to follow a new hallway and soon Vash and Millie were lost. Knives, on the other hand, knew every inch of his ship and he'd figured out long ago where they were headed. Abruptly the path of lights ended in front of a pair of doors. Pressing a button next to it, they slid open.

The geoplant room. Just like the one he and Vash had known as children, with rolling fields and plants as far as the eye could see. While Millie gasped in wonder, the two twins searched the area for the 'representative' that was supposed to meet them.

They spotted her at the same time. She leaned against the trunk of a tree, fifty feet away. Dressed in sky blue, she stood out amongst the greenery around her. The brothers moved toward her with Millie tagging along behind. As they got closer, they saw that her outfit was really a number of different hues of blue that crisscrossed each other in thin lines. She only wore a sleeveless, single piece of cloth that went from shoulders to knees. Her hair was also a shade of blue, much like the ocean, and trailed to her waist in thick curls.

As they approached, she stood straight and gave them a formal bow. "Welcome!" she called out. "My name is Gale." A cocky smile was on her face when she straightened and faced them.

They stopped within a few feet of her.

"My master gives his regrets that he couldn't be here himself, but asks that you forgive his absence." Neither brother made a move to speak and she continued, "He did send this, however."

Reaching down her bodice, she pulled out an envelope and held it out. Knives reached and took it, tearing it open and pulling out the letter. He read for a few seconds before handing it to Vash.

It read:

_As you are reading this, that means that you have followed by directions. Excellent._

_Now, though, the real test begins._

_I ask that you relinquish your weapons to my servant._

_After that she will take you to your little human._

_And, if you don't wish to comply, Miss Stryfe _will_ be terminated._

_With much love,_

_Dominic_

Vash handed the letter to Millie, looked to Knives and then at the women. She held out her hand. "Your weapons, please."

"No."

Millie and Vash both turned to look at Knives, faces aghast.

"Knives..." his brother began.

He silenced him with his hand. "We will not be led around like pawns," he told the women before him. "You will tell us where your master is or," the plant cocked his gun and pointed it at her, "I will make you."

"But what about Meryl!" Vash shouted, anger and fear in his voice.

"Do you really think that she will be returned unharmed if we cooperate, brother?" He countered.

"We don't know if that's true or not, but you read that letter. If we don't do as they want, they'll kill her!" He reached for Knives' gun, but his brother stepped away from him, keeping the weapon pointed at the blue-haired woman.

"Don't be so naive, Vash!"

And he fired.

---------------------------------------------

_Seven days earlier..._

How was this possible!

The nightmare had haunted her for days. Even now she could feel the tendrils wrapped around her body as they suffocated her. And the man in her dreams, the one who had given her such a fright sat before her! His eyes were green, just as she'd remembered, and his dirty blond hair that reached his waist...All of it was there.

His pale skin looked even more so in the artificial light. This time, and for which Meryl was grateful, he wore clothes. A white, button up shirt, white pants, and even shoes of the same color covered him.

She knew that her mouth was hanging open and her eyes must be as wide as saucers as she sat upon the cold floor. But really, how often does one see their dreams literally come to life?

The man leaned forward in his chair, elbows propped on the arms. "What, speechless, Miss Stryfe? That is not a trait I was aware you had."

The obvious jab, rather than irritating her like it usually would have, instead only succeeded in confusing her further. How could this man, that she'd never met except in a dream, speak as if he knew her intimately?

He threw back his head and let loose a great, rolling laugh that echoed around the large, empty room. The male looked at her, a wide smile upon his face. "Why, my dear, I know everything about you. From the time you broke your left arm playing soccer, to when you were hired by Bernardelli, I know every aspect of your life."

In a response that was reflexive after having spent so long with Knives, she said, "Hey! Stay out of my mind!"

She blinked and stared at the shiny floor as his amused grin grew. He _had_ just read her mind. But _how_...!

He tsked and Meryl looked at him. The mystery man had a mocking disappointed look on his face. "I expected better from you Miss Stryfe," he admonished her. "Is it really so hard to figure it out?"

A frown appeared between her eyebrows as she thought over what he said. As far as she knew, the only ones who had the ability to read minds were Vash and Knives, but that was because they were plants...

Her eyes widened again as the answer hit her. He nodded, his lips tilting up in a pleased smile.

"Who are you?" she asked, half in wonder and half in suspicion.

"You may call me Dominic," he informed her in a genial tone. "I was born just as my brothers, Vash and Knives, from a plant, though not as long ago as them. Another rare occurrence of a plant producing an offspring."

She gaped at him. "How is that possible?"

He smiled at her surprise. "When a plant has an excessive amount of energy, she contains and molds it into a being similar to herself. A type of photosynthesis, as it were."

Meryl furtively glanced around the room then turned to him. "But why am I here?"

Dominic stood and walked toward her. "You, my dear, are the catalyst of my plan."

Gathering herself together, she stood and faced him as he stopped right in front of him. His height was equal to that of Vash and Knives, and he towered over her by a full foot. "What _are_ you talking about?"

"Why, my goal to change the human race as we know it. I intend to infect the entire population with a new vaccine, one that would recreate them into plants, like myself."

His voice was so matter-of-fact and serious that it took Meryl a few seconds to process his outrageous words.

"What!" She backed away slowly. He couldn't be serious!

"But I am," he told her, his enthusiasm rising. "Even now my machines are mass-producing the serum I created."

Cutting to the chase she told him what she thought of him. "You're insane."

"No, merely trying to create the perfect world where everyone is equal and untainted by their human frailties." He began advancing on her, his eyes glowing brightly.

Stalling for time, she asked, "And how are you going to administer this 'serum'?"

"It will be mixed into their drinking water. After all, there are only a small number of wells on Gunsmoke." The plant reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her movement. "And as soon as it is ingested, the change will begin immediately."

She flinched from his touch. Something wasn't right about this miracle potion that suddenly transformed people into free plants. "And are there any side-effects to this 'miracle cure'?" she inquired cautiously.

"The serum will only work for a few people. The rest," his hand, the one not holding her, made a dismissing motion, "they will die."

"You're going to murder people!" She was horrified. It was like Knives all over again, except with a different plan.

"It is a sacrifice for the greater good."

"Do you even know what you're doing!"

Dominic glared at her. "Of course. You don't actually believe that I would mourn the deaths of any human, do you?"

This cold, frightening man had just admitted to her that he was willing to become a genocidal maniac, and all for the sake of reaching his goal. Meryl shuddered, thinking of all those innocent people.

She had to do something to stop this!

"There is nothing you can do, my little guest." She really needed to do something about that. While Knives might have problems reading her, this guy had none whatsoever.

Just then she heard something slide behind her. With his hand holding her arm, the insurance lady couldn't turn around and look to see who it was. Footsteps sounded on the floor and stopped not a few feet from her.

"Master." She knew that voice. It was that creepy guy who had kidnaped her.

"Yes, Tsume?" He asked, looking over her shoulder at his servant.

"They've left December," came the smooth reply.

Dominic nodded and she felt the servant, Tsume, leave the room. Great, now she was alone again with the Knives-wannabe.

His grip on her arm tightened a fraction, returning her attention to him.

"That wasn't a very nice thought," he told her with a forced grin. "It is especially rude to think such of your gracious host."

"Gracious host?" she echoed incredulously.

"Indeed. You are as of yet, alive. That in itself is very gracious of me."

"How kind of you," Meryl murmured bitterly.

He ignored her words and tugged on her arm, pulling her toward the door. On the other side were hallways and he quickly chose one, dragging her along behind him.

The plant's fingers clenched her tightly and Meryl felt bruises beginning to form. Obviously he had reached the end of his patience with her.

They traveled like that for several minutes, swerving and turning down corridors every now and then. Meryl found herself lost in no time. All of the hallways looked the same and were made up of a shiny, metallic material with artificial lights overhead.

There were doors everywhere and when Dominic finally stopped in front of one of them, she couldn't help but run into him. He frowned over his shoulder at her and Meryl inwardly winced.

He pressed a button on the console next to the opening and the door swished open. The man pulled her within and swiftly released her.

She fell forward, landing on a bed that stood in the middle of the room. Meryl swerved and faced him, watching him wearily.

Dominic stood in front of her, arms crossed over his chest and a small smile on his face. She knew that whatever he was going to do, it wouldn't bode well for her.

"I never did explain your role in my plan, did I, my dear?" The jovial and friendly side of him was back, but this time Meryl knew that it was all a farce. Beneath was really a very cruel, wicked, and demented individual.

When she didn't answer him, he continued. "You, Miss Stryfe, are to be the bait that brings my brothers to me." His eyes shone with an unnatural and frightening light. "And then they will help me with eliminating the human race and creating a new, better species!"

His breathing was harsh and Meryl shivered from fear. "Vash won't help you," she told with him conviction. As for Knives, well, she couldn't vouch for him.

"But they will. Even now I am ensuring his cooperation," he said smugly. "That large human will guarantee him loyalty. After all," Dominic said with a horrible sneer, "he wouldn't want anything to happen to her. Or you, for that matter."

Meryl narrowed her eyes at him, angry that he was messing with her friends. "You're horrible," she hissed at him. "You won't get away with it."

He laughed at her. One hand reached up and held his head as he belittled her words with his chuckles.

She glared at him as he calmed down and looked at her.

"We shall see, my dear. We shall see."

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Tsume: claw


	18. Survival

A/N: Been so long, but school's been so terrible. Hopefully the next quarter will be better. And there's also the Christmas Holiday (can't wait!)

And if some people thought of Damian as a stupid and cliche'd idea, I'm sorry. But with the manga going the way it is, with all the other plants like Vash and Knives showing up, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Still doesn't, actually.

:telepathic thoughts:

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_Before_

"_Don't be so naive, Vash!"_

_And he fired._

Chapter 18: Survival

The bullet never hit it's mark. Not, though, from lack of trying.

Instead of the sounds of metal meeting flesh or the sight of blood flying, the bullet stopped. It simply stopped. Not a foot away from the woman named Gale, servant to Dominic, and the bullet froze, right in midair.

No one moved, except for the woman who had raised her arms above her, as if praying to the sky.

The only sound was the wind blowing. And it was focused around the strange young woman in front of Knives and company.

At first none of them could see the swirls of air that moved around her like a tornado. But, as it became stronger, they saw grass, leaves, and other small items being thrown around. The two plants and Millie stepped back as the hurricane wind only got stronger, whipping at their hair and clothes.

Gale smiled evilly as she forced them back several more feet, until the tornado had grown over ten yards in diameter. The bullet was still in front of her face, floating in midair.

Then, she pointed a finger forward, sending the small metal object hurling back at Knives, nicking his cheek. A small line of blood appeared on his face. The man narrowed his eyes and frowned at the human who'd injured him.

She laughed at his expression. "Did you honestly think that my master would surround himself with weaklings?"

Knives didn't answer her, but neither did he fire his gun. It was obvious that a direct assault would be impossible. Strategy would be needed to defeat this obviously abnormal opponent. He would have to ask her later how she'd acquired these powers of hers.

Her voice broke through his thoughts. "Do you really expect to confront my master?" she mocked them. "Thus far you have fallen right into his trap." The young woman held up a finger. "First with the fire, which," she smiled proudly, "my winds turned into a raging inferno." The demon held up another finger. "Then he stole the girl from right under your noses. And finally," a third finger, "coming here, as my master wished."

His face carefully blank, Knives said, "Vash."

With that one word both brothers reacted immediately, dashing to either side of the twister and the woman within. Millie reacted as well, moving back and out of the way while holding her stun-gun at the ready.

The two plants quickly and efficiently surrounded the female. She watched them with that smirk still on her lips, mocking their efforts. The men stood for a moment on either side of her. Millie could feel the tension in the air as the tornado winds continued to howl.

Then Gale made her move. Swiftly throwing her right arm out, a blast of air hurdled toward Vash, and even though he'd anticipated such a move and he was fast, the spiky-haired man barely managed to dodge the attack.

She did the same with Knives, throwing a rush of wind at him as well.

Both moved clockwise so that Vash was behind her and Knives in front. Almost before they stopped moving, Gale suddenly sent out a torrent of her power at them again. Vash, being used to these conditions of running and dodging easily maneuvered out of the way. His brother, on the other hand, was not so swift and he felt his right shoulder get clipped, the air tearing at cloth and skin, leaving a deep cut.

This was no ordinary wind. Somehow she'd been able to project the gusts at such a speed as create a blade made of air.

"Knives!" he heard his brother yell in distress.

Said twin made a gesture that said that he was alright, even as the wound began bleeding profusely.

Knives knew that they would have to end this quickly. A prolonged fight would not be in their favor. It was obvious that him and Vash would tire long before those winds of hers died down.

:Vash:

The voice in his head startled the blonde for a second, almost getting him knocked by another wind gust.

_:What...?:_

He saw his brother glare at him.

:Not the time, you idiot. Now, I have a plan...:

Millie watched anxiously from the sidelines as the two battled with the strange woman. The big girl really hoped that no one would get hurt. She flinched as Vash was almost blasted with another one of Gale's attacks.

Things didn't look too good for the twins, she observed. They couldn't seem to get close to the woman, whose master was keeping Meryl hostage. How mean of her not to tell them where she was! Millie thought

The insurance woman switched her attention when, all of a sudden, the two plants both jumped up and straight into the tornado!

She watched, dumbfounded as they were swung around at vicious speeds. Millie wasn't sure that a normal human could take those winds and live. Meanwhile the woman controlling the tunnel of wind smiled gleefully at her opponents as they were tossed about.

The big girl had no idea what they were planning but she was going to try and help them. Millie moved forward purposely until she felt something strange. She stopped and looked around herself, but saw nothing that could have caused this urgent feeling within her.

The woman moved forward...or tried to. She glanced down at her feet and mentally ordered them to move, but they didn't even twitch. Her legs were somehow paralyzed!

Quiet laughter came from behind her and she twisted her body around to see who it was.

A man dressed all in black, from his leather jacket and pants to his boots, stood a few yards away from her. The big girl could immediately tell that this was another bad guy. He was handsome, she noted, wit his thin nose and noble features, but underlying it all was an air of cruelty.

He smiled at her and Millie felt a shiver run through her body. This couldn't be good.

"Hello, my dear. Time to take a trip."

Her large, blue eyes widened in fear as a blob of darkness seemed to explode from the man and shoot straight toward her!

---------------------------------------------

Meanwhile the two plants were being flung around like rag dolls within the woman's tornado. But they had to stick to the plan Knives had come up with. There wasn't really any other option available.

So as they went around and around at a terrible speed, and as Gale laughed below them they began to put their plan into action.

The idea was to use her winds against her by counting how long it took for their bodies to complete a circle in the whirlwind, and then corroborate that with the distance from themselves and Gale. Also, they had to factor in all the twigs and leaves blowing around them.

Not to mention that this was no ordinary tornado. For instance, there was no eye. The entire area above Gale was filled with wind.

They had to do this all quickly. The air was coming from below them, which meant that as they spun they were moving progressively higher into the sky. Plants they may be, but even they would have been severely injured if they were to fall from a great height.

A second quirk of the moving mass of wind they'd flung themselves into was that it was being controlled by a human. So, as soon as the twins had entered the tornado she'd immediately increased the speed. In no time they'd found themselves being propelled at a frightening speed up into the air.

With a quick mental nod to his brother, Knives pointed his gun downward, aimed carefully, and fired. His eyes watched as the bullet started out at a fast speed. Eventually the winds would have slowed it down, but he'd figured a way around that little problem.

Before the bullet had even begun to waiver, another hit it in the back, moving it forward again. This happened in a split second after the first shot, but this time the bullet had come from Vash's gun.

They kept that up for the next few seconds and too late did Gale figure out what they were up to, certainly not early enough to form a counter-offensive. The metal ripped through her shoulder and the winds quickly petered out and for a second the two found themselves floating in midair.

This didn't last long, however. Gravity soon reasserted itself and the brothers began their plummet to earth. Now, they'd begun their plunge from about 100 feet, so Vash had plenty of time to scream as they fell...which he took full advantage of. Knives prepared himself for the inevitable impact.

They both hit the ground and rolled to lessen the impact, but were on their feet in a second.

They had landed a small distance from the women who was now holding her injured flesh. She glared daggers at the twins and they stared back, waiting for her to make a move. All of them knew that with her wound she could no longer be able to bring forth her winds.

Gale gave a wry grin and they tensed when she began to laugh. Finally she calmed down enough and spoke to them.

"You are such fools! You think you've won the battle, but it is my master who has triumphed!" A bout of less than sane cackles followed this proclamation. Knives had no idea what she was talking about, but Vash had a horrible feeling that he did.

He wildly looked around the area, seeking out the familiar form of Millie.

But she was gone.

"Knives!" he yelled, gaining his brother's attention. "They've taken Millie!"

A black frown formed on his lips. He was angry, both at himself for not noticing the kidnaping and the woman for distracting him in the first place. Knives did not have any emotional attachment to the human, but he knew that Vash did and he'd come to realize that it did matter to him.

Angrily he strode up to Gale, her smug grin only making him madder, and roughly grabbed her injured shoulder.

Much to his satisfaction she cried out in pain and tried to claw his hand away. He simply squeezed harder.

His voice was deadly cold. "Where has she been taken?"

Rather than answer him, she thrust her hand forward. He abruptly let go of her to dodge the blast of wind she sent his way. He cursed himself for thinking that she was defenseless. He'd allowed his feelings to cloud his judgement.

As he glanced at her, Knives noticed the strange, almost maniacal gleam in her eyes. The plant had been around enough maniacs to figure out what that look meant: she was going to do something completely irrational.

That thought ran through his head and his body immediately reacted, jumping backward a few yards farther from the woman. Just in time, too. The wind had begun to kick up again, though it was more erratic than before.

The woman's face began to break out in sweat and her hair was blown around by the air currents around her. In no time another tornado had formed around her, except this one was obviously not under her control. It twisted and turned at impossible angles for a regular storm, sometimes bending over at a ninety-degree angle.

Over the din Knives heard puffing breath and the padding of feet come his way. He barely managed to reach out his good arm and grab his brother before he tried to make a grave mistake.

"Let me go, Knives!" he called out over the noise, tugging on his brother's restraining hand. He looked at Knives with pleading eyes. "I can't just let her die!"

Before the plant could answer him a shriek rent through the air and they both turned their gaze back to the tornado and the woman within. The winds had torn most of her clothing to shreds and now her feet were leaving the ground. Her power had finally overcome her.

As they watched she was suddenly caught in the winds and flung high into the air, well beyond their reach. The wind moved away from them, over to the woods beyond the creek. The two could only watch helplessly as the tornado began to peter out, about 200 feet into the air.

When the air could no longer hold her weight, her battered body fell. Both brother's ran forward, toward the area where she would land, but even with their speed they would never be able to reach her in time.

The two plants were a scant few feet from where her body hit the ground. They knew before they reached her side that her wounds were fatal.

A trickle of blood bubbled from her mouth; a sign of internal bleeding. And Gale knew this as well, even though she smiled at them as they knelt beside her. Her eyes told the brothers that she knew, they held a resigned light to them.

Knives could feel his brother's distress and hopelessness over her coming death. He did not feel anything, but he found himself disturbed by his brother's sadness. And with Vash's penchant for pitying even the lowliest of creatures...

Did this mean that he'd caused his brother this much grief when he'd sent the Gung-ho-guns to die? As he saw water beginning to gather in Vash's eyes he inwardly winced. How could he have ignored his brother's tears for so long?

These disturbing thoughts of his were interrupted when the woman lying in front of them gave a gasping wheeze that could have been a laugh. She gazed at them and triumph shined in her eyes where resignation had been but a few scant moments ago.

"My master's won this round," she coughed. "Even my death won't change that." Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a small piece of paper from a pocket hidden in the folds of her clothing.

Gale handed it to Vash and said, "My master will be waiting for you."

Her words reminded Knives that the two females had been taken, and from right under his nose by their enemy, the one they would need to face. But he'd most definitely have to retrieve the two humans, if only so they couldn't become liabilities.

A sudden shudder through the woman's body and the twins watched as she faded, Vash holding her hand throughout the ordeal.

When she finally stilled Vash heaved a great, heartfelt sigh. He actually sounded his age.

"You can't always save people from themselves," Knives told his brother. "She knew what the consequences of her actions would be."

He turned to him with haunted and bottomless eyes. "I know, Knives, but that doesn't change the fact that a person has died."

The shorter-haired man found that he couldn't argue with that observation. Though he had a feeling that if he'd been told the same thing over a year ago, he would have said something in reply...

He shook off the feeling and even though he knew they were wasting valuable time, he helped his brother bury the women in the nearby field. Knives could tell that his brother was still mourning, but even so Vash quickly focused on what they needed to do.

So he and Vash took a look at the paper she'd given them.

It read:

_Congratulations brothers! You have passed my first test, though I'm afraid that you've lost something precious to you. So this battle goes to me._

_But continuing on, I have written directions on the back of this sheet describing where I am. Hope to see you soon!_

_With all love,_

_Dominic_

They looked at each other, gave a nod, and made their way out of the geoplant.

---------------------------------------------

_A week earlier..._

Learning that Knives and Vash had a brother was a hard fact to swallow for Meryl. She'd never even considered the idea. Though, now that she'd dwelt on it for the past four hours, ever since Dominic had left, it wasn't so hard after all.

The explanation he'd given for his and the twin's birth, of an excess amount of energy that plants formed into offspring, wasn't so far out there. She could also see why it hadn't happened often with practically all of the plants having been found and put to use right away.

Still, these thoughts didn't solve her current dilemma, which was how to get herself out of this large prison.

Before he'd left, the plant had informed her that the door could only be opened by a password code and that there were no other exits. And she'd checked, too, just in case there might have been a small shaft through which she could have crawled through.

Unfortunately for her he'd been telling the truth. There hadn't been even the tiniest crease in either the wall or ceiling which would indicate another exit.

So now she sat on the bed, pondering what she was going to do.

Then the sounds of footsteps on metal floor echoed to her ears. The noise was coming from outside in the corridor and was steadily getting louder, meaning whoever they were was coming closer.

Meryl stood, just in case she would have to defend herself, though she knew the odds were not in her favor because of her size.

The door to her room swished open and with the light from the hallway it took Meryl a moment to get her bearings.

It was a woman who was barely taller than herself. Her build was large with broad shoulders and a rounded figure. The woman had to have been somewhere in her fifties. She wore a checkered dress and a large smile. In her arms was a tray with a lid. Meryl was caught off guard by her appearance and the woman must have noticed her shocked expression.

"What's wrong, deary? You didn't honestly believe that everyone here was..." she seemed to struggle for a moment with her words, "well, that everyone was strange looking. Did you?"

She had, but she wasn't about to admit it to this odd woman, nor did she seem to expect an answer. Instead she walked into the room and set the tray down on the bedside table. All of a sudden the woman whirled, a small gasp escaping her lips.

"Oh, how silly of me! I didn't introduce myself, did I?" She continued one before Meryl could answer. "You can just call me Grandma. Everyone else around here does. And what's yours, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

This woman had a way of talking one's ear off and it took Meryl a second to figure out that she'd been asked a question. "Um, Meryl Stryfe."

"It's nice to meet you," she curtsied.

The manners this woman displayed were so traditional and foreign to what she was used to that Meryl stared. "Likewise," she murmured.

Grandma opened her mouth to say something when a small chime went off in the room, an intercom system must be in the walls, Meryl mused to herself. But then the strange woman was saying her apologies, telling the young woman that she had to go, and before Meryl could get a word in edgewise, she was gone.

This day had most definitely been one of the weirdest in recent memory. And since she'd been living with Knives lately that was saying something.

She shook her head to try and clear it and walked over to the silver tray and lifted the lid. A lovely dinner of roast beef and potatoes was laid out on a platter.

'_At least I won't go hungry,' _she told herself.

After eating the meal and satisfying her hungry stomach, Meryl decided that she might as well take a nap. No sense in staying awake and becoming less alert.

As she lay down on the top covers of the bed to sleep she thought over her strange visitor. Maybe she could somehow use her visits to her advantage.

She mulled over this until dreamland finally claimed her.


	19. Daring Escape

A/N: I know, it's been forever since I've last put out a chapter for this story. The reason, you might ask (though I'm sure some of you aren't), is school. I'm finishing up college so the work load has been a little hectic.

Hopefully I'll have time after graduation, but I'm not counting on it. Once school ends, the real world begins.

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**Chapter 19: Daring Escape**

The next few days for Meryl were stressful, to say the least.When she wasn't pacing the small room she'd been given, the young woman was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. The entire time she was thinking, going through escape plan after escape plan. And in the end she found herself with nothing; no idea whatsoever.

On the bright side, she wasn't going hungry. All three meals were delivered promptly (roughly estimating the time, as there was no clock) by that same strange woman. After the initial shock of finding such a person in a place like this, Meryl had kept a close eye on her. She didn't know what, but something was . . . _off_ . . . about her.

The older woman smiled nicely at her and made mundane comments, politely asking her how she was, if she liked the food, etc. For her part, the insurance lady's answers had been simple and to-the-point; her distrust was plain. The woman seemed not to notice.

When her tired body couldn't take being awake anymore, Meryl allowed herself to rest. Nothing had happened to her so far, but she wasn't willing to risk being taken off-guard.

But from what she'd seen, Dominic had not made an appearance. Small favors. She'd fully expected him to gloat, or at the very least grill her for information.

Still, all the silence and alone time had done nothing for her already frayed nerves. Contemplating Dominic's relationship with the twins and how to escape had only distracted her for so long before her naturally worrisome nature set in.

By the end of the first week Meryl had felt as if she was stretched thin from all the stress. She found herself jumping at the strange grinding sounds that the walls around her made. The small amount of time with the elderly woman became a reprieve from her morbid thoughts.

Counting the days had been a little difficult, but it became a lot easier when she realized that by keeping track of the number of meals, she could determine the time.

And so she waited, cursing her imagination during her time of imprisonment. The darn thing continually thought of the most horrible endings for herself, or worse, for her friends. For whatever it was Dominic had planned could not be good for them, either.

This went on until one day when the door unexpectedly opened, revealing the frightening man who had kidnaped her in the first place. In the artificial light he was even more forbidding than he'd been in her dark living room. He still wore that dark outfit. Skin-tight, it hugged his body and the muscles underneath. There wasn't a seam to be seen. His black hair, which reached his waist, fell like a waterfall of night down his back.

His fingers were bare of the long pieces of metal they had sported on their previous meeting.

He sneered at her. "We meet again, Ms. Stryfe."

Girding herself, Meryl tipped up her chin in a sign of defiance. "What do you want?"

The sneer fell, but the cruelty in his brown eyes stayed strong. "I'm to escort you to your new cell."

Tsume moved forward with speedy grace and gripped a forearm tightly. She struggled as he pulled her out of the room and into the hallway. After he'd practically dragged her for a few yards, Meryl stopped trying to escape, realizing that her feeble strength was nothing compared to his.

Her short legs stumbled and jogged to keep up with his pace. "Hey! Slow down!"

He ignored her, not even bothering to look at the insurance lady.

They continued like that for a few minutes, twisting and turning down the long corridors of steel. Meryl was thoroughly confused by the time he stopped them in front of one of the doors. The cruel man pressed a red button beside the door.

The portal opened with a whoosh and Tsume flicked his wrist, sending Meryl stumbling into the room. Not even giving the area a passing glance, the infuriated woman turned to give him a piece of her mind over his rough treatment.

"Meryl!"

Stopping dead, with her mouth open, said female immediately recognized the voice and swung around. A large body collided with hers, sweeping her off her feet and giving her an enthusiastic hug.

"I missed you sooo much, Meryl!"

Placing a little room between them so she could look her partner in the eye, the confused Meryl asked the question at the forefront in her thoughts, "Millie! What are you doing here?"

The big girl's reply was interrupted when a sound behind them caught their attention. Half-turning, Meryl saw that the doors had closed and they'd been left alone. Great. Different room, same prison. Well, at least she wasn't alone anymore.

"They didn't hurt you, did they, Meryl?"

The faint wobble in Millie's voice distracted her from their predicament. Consoling her partner was the first item on the agenda. From there they would put their heads together and find a way to escape.

"No. I'm fine, Millie." She gave the big girl a convincing smile to prove her point.

"I'm so glad," she sniffled. "But what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know," Meryl answered truthfully. A finger tapped her chin in thought. She looked up. "Why don't you tell me what's happened in the last week?"

"Well..." Millie began. The big girl then explained about the notes and the battle in the geoplant, ending with her own kidnaping.

Before she'd began her story, both of the ladies had sat down on the only bed in the room. Meryl leaned back on her arms, blindly staring at the ceiling. Dominic was playing a dangerous game of strategy. Too bad she had no idea what he was playing for. That is, except for the crazy plan to turn the entire human race into plants.

Still, that didn't explain what the notes and the leading around of Vash and Knives were about. But none of this was doing her any good.

Resolutely she sat up, wracking her brain for any option to escape. Before it had only been herself, but now Millie had been thrown into the equation, raising the chances of getting out of this prison.

The big girl sat beside her, watching her partner do what she did best. Millie fully admitted that Meryl was the brains of the team, but that didn't mean that she didn't have plenty to commit. She could remember on several occasions when she'd helped her partner work through problems, simply by applying a good helping of common sense.

Sitting beside Meryl, she felt a cold blast of air hit the top of her head. Looking up, the tall woman beheld a vent above her, set into the ceiling. Another gust brushed past her face and with it came an idea.

She turned excitedly to her partner, "Meryl!"

"Not now, Millie," the insurance lady mumbled back, brows furrowed in deep thought.

"But, Meryl!"

Said woman sighed and looked at her companion, "Yes?"

Millie clapped her hands together. "I know how to get out of here!"

At that pronouncement Meryl's attention was completely captured and she leaned forward, eagerly waiting to hear what the other woman had to say.

"We could use that vent above us!"

One of her fingers rose, pointing above them. Meryl followed the movement and saw the shaft her partner was talking about. Roughly a two-foot by two-foot opening, there was a cover with slats that allowed air to pass through it and into the room. There was no possible way for Millie to fit through, but maybe she could...

It was worth a try.

She brought her attention back to the waiting Millie. "Great job, Millie. It looks like that vent is our only option." The short woman stood up. "Now let's see if we can reach it and get that cover off."

Obligingly Millie stood. Even with her impressive height the ceiling was still a good five feet above her head. "I'll need to stand on your shoulders," Meryl informed her.

The big girl nodded her understanding and knelt down by the bed, giving Meryl an opportunity to climb on her shoulders. Awkwardly the young woman stood on the lumpy mattress and positioned herself behind the other girl.

"Ready?"

At Millie's nod she set one foot on a large shoulder, pressing her weight down gently, taking care that they wouldn't both go toppling to the floor. The entire maneuver was difficult, but with Millie's prodigious strength and a few tries, they eventually managed to form a human ladder.

Meryl reached above her head, fingers prying at the vent. From what she could see, there were no screws or bolts holding the cover in place, so she'd guessed that it had to have been simply fitted in.

The metal was sharp and bit into her flesh, but she wasn't about to let a little pain stop her from her goal. Her incessant tugging had them swaying dangerously. Just as she was about to tell Millie that it was hopeless when she felt the piece shift beneath her fingers.

With renewed determination she pulled with all of her strength. The metal groaned and creaked as it bent and moved within its frame. A crease appeared in the middle of the vent cover and with a little moving Meryl was able to shift the piece around until it slid out.

Millie, who'd been watching the entire time, gave a hoot of exhilaration. But the sudden movement and added weight of the cover caused both of them to go toppling onto the bed. Instinctively they smothered their shrieks, making sure that anyone outside the room wouldn't hear them.

Meryl sighed and disentangled herself from under her partner, carrying the piece of metal with her. She sat on the edge of the bed as Millie righted herself. They looked at each other and smiled, proud of their accomplishment. Then, from beyond the door that led to the hall, came a most unwelcome noise.

Someone was coming.

For a few panicked seconds they simply looked at each other. Then, thinking fast, Meryl stood up and lifted the mattress, quickly stuffing the vent cover underneath, and sat back down to hide the evidence.

Just as she stopped bouncing the metal doors slid open. In the doorway stood Grandma, a big smile reminiscent of Millie's on her face. "Hello, you two!" The older woman turned to Meryl. "I heard your friend was here. It's so nice that you don't have to be alone now."

Trying her hardest to hide her nervousness, and fervently hoping that Grandma didn't look up and notice the hole in the ceiling, said insurance lady tightly nodded her head. If the other woman even moved her eyes remotely upward their plan for escape would be laid bare.

Oblivious to the two companion's strained expressions, Grandma continued forward, setting the silver tray of food she held on the bed between them. The old woman turned to Millie and reached out with a gnarled hand, patting one of the big girl's own in a comforting motion.

Now, Meryl knew her partner to be a very open and friendly girl. Even with perfect strangers she usually had a bright smile and a happy 'hello!". So when she saw Millie flinch from the contact and discreetly shuffle away from Grandma, she was surprised.

For her part, the strange female seemed not to notice, though she made no move to touch Millie again. "Well, it's nice to meet you, dear. I hope you'll enjoy your stay while you're here."

A nod was her only answer and she glanced back to Meryl, bidding her a fond farewell, and headed for the exit. By this time both of the insurance ladies were practically blue in the face from holding their breath in fear. So far Grandma hadn't looked up, but what if she turned around and looked up? Then they would have to do something drastic, like jump the older woman, just to keep their secret safe.

Preparing to pounce if necessary, both were tense and watched as the doors slid open and she put one foot through the doorway. But then she suddenly stilled and both girls nearly had a heart attack when she looked at them over her shoulder.

"I'll be back later to pick up a tray, then we could have a lovely chat together." Another big smile and she left with a swoosh.

Both women exhaled loudly at her departure. Now that that was over, Meryl asked Millie why she had acted so out of character.

The big girl looked uneasily toward the door. "I don't know, Meryl. There was just something about her that didn't seem..." She struggled with the correct word to express herself, "I don't know what it was," Millie shrugged. "I just got a feeling that there was something not right with her eyes."

Meryl blinked. She'd never noticed anything wrong with Grandma's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Millie seemed to space out for a moment. "They were dark..."

The shorter woman took her word for it. Many a time she had relied on Millie's perceptive reading of people's nature to guide them through their journey. If she said that something was wrong with Grandma, then she was going to believe her.

Either way, it was time for them to get out of here. Meryl stood on the bed and Millie took the cue to kneel down for her to get on her shoulders. Together they were able to reposition themselves below the vent. This time the tiny insurance lady reached up with both hands and gripped the edges, hoisting herself up and into the small area above.

It was a tight fit, even with her small frame. Twisting her body, she slipped inside, making sure to take the way that led to the corridor outside. The vent ran from the door and straight through their room. Without saying a word Meryl began to pull herself through the small space.

It had been decided between them that once she got inside the vent Meryl would hunt for a way to get into the corridor, and then let Millie out of the room. The small insurance girl thanked God that she was not claustrophobic, though she had every intention of making her way out as fast as she could.

Ahead of her she saw only darkness. Little light poured from behind her and into the shaft. After a few moments of shuffling along, she found herself at a crossroads. To her left she saw nothing but more black, but to her right was a beam of light that came from below. Heartened, Meryl turned herself around the sharp corner and quickly made her way toward it.

It was a cover of the same make as the one she had used to enter the vent. The design was the same, so Meryl carefully removed the screen and looked down. Below her she could see the tile of the corridor. Slowly she lowered her head, making sure to keep her hair tied back, and looked around.

No one was in sight. She listened for footsteps but heard none. Meryl pulled herself back up and shuffled forward so that her legs were positioned over the hole. Taking care to listen for anyone, she lowered herself down until she was dangling by her arms. Stealthily she let go and dropped to the ground below, which was a good six feet under her.

When her feet his she took off for the door she knew to be the one Millie was still in. Swiftly pressing the red button that Tsume had used earlier, she let her partner out. Neither had an idea of where to go, as both had been unconscious when they'd been brought here. Meryl remembered Grandma having gone off to the left as she'd exited the room. Taking that as a cue for them to at least find the main area for this place, her and Millie began their journey in that direction.

Behind them the door to their room closed, leaving only the tray of food still sitting on the bed. A bit of light bounced off of the silver tray and reflect off of a discreet object in one of the corners. The camera lense shown for a moment in the darkness where it lay, a testament to the fact that the women's departure had not gone unnoticed.


	20. A Test of Trust

A/N: Two months since my last update . . . could be worse. If anything this is an _enormous_ chapter. I kid you not.

And a large thank you to those that reviewed, especially vashluver1. You left such a long review!

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**Chapter 20: A Test of Trust**

Dominic's ship was amazingly close to the previous one. The instructions on the paper Gale had given them stated that they had only to go about one-hundred miles to reach their next destination, which would only take them roughly half a day's travel. Usually a vehicle could cover more distance than that in that amount of time, but the area they were currently in contained a greater amount of sand, making for a slow ride than if there were granite rocks.

The two men made a quick exit and hopped into the car, Vash driving. After only a few minutes Knives was wishing that he'd grabbed the wheel before his brother had. He hung on as the car almost plummeted off the side of the dune they were currently riding on.

One look at Vash's strained face and he knew what the problem was. It was the kidnaping of the large human female that had turned his driving so dangerous. Knives knew that his brother cared deeply for Millie, but it was one thing to know it and completely something else to see it, etched in his brothers features as it was.

The gunslinger's shoulders were tightly hunched and he was bent over the steering wheel, his entire being focused on driving, on getting to their destination. Knives would have chalked it up to both the girls now being captured, but though Vash had been exceedingly worried about Meryl, he'd never shown this much emotion, this much worry over her safety alone.

Something about that, about Vash not showing the care for Meryl as he did for Millie, gave him a sense of relief, though he had no idea what he was relieved about.

The trip, much like the last, was quiet, each brother dwelling in his own thoughts.

Once the plants knew they were nearing their destination they began scouting the area for any sign of the ship. One would think that a vessel that size would stick out like a sore thumb, but both men were very much surprised that this was not the case.

The car had been following a rock face for the last few miles, thus when they rounded a corner and found the ship suddenly looming above them they were both taken by surprise.

Upon impact the vessel had fallen in a large crevice created between two opposing cliff walls that met in the back, creating a triangle. Though the damage looked extensive, much of the ship had been crushed and destroyed on impact, the core had survived. That was the area that housed the major systems, keeping things like life-support and the plant bulbs safe, like encasing an object in a steel box.

With the position the space craft was in, one could only spot the vessel from one direction.

Vash approached cautiously, both him and Knives keeping alert to any danger. Again they were met with no resistance as they parked the car and stepped out. No one was there to meet them at the door and the plants took it upon themselves to enter the ship.

Drawing their guns, the twins silently walked up to the entrance. They placed themselves, one on either side, while Knives pushed the button. The metal swished open, revealing a tiny, elderly woman standing just inside, a pleasant smile upon her face.

Knives could tell that his brother was completely taken off guard by the human's appearance. Vash's eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly.

He had to admit to himself that as a henchman the woman certainly didn't fit the typical description, but he'd been around too many inconspicuous killers not to immediately be suspicious. Though he noticed that his brother had yet to holster his gun.

Maybe he was starting to learn a thing or two about humans after all . . .

His twin chose that moment to speak up, rubbing his empty hand awkwardly behind his head and wearing a sheepish smile, "Well, hello there."

Or maybe not.

"Welcome, gentlemen," the elderly replied to them both in a tiny but strong voice. " It is indeed a pleasure to meet you both."

Knives was in no mood for pleasantries and cut right to the chase, brandishing his gun as a sign that he meant business, "Don't waste our time. Where's your master?"

Rather than getting angry at the rude words, she merely grinned at him, her hands clasped in front of her in a delighted fashion.

"Now, now. There's no need for such cruel words. My master is eagerly awaiting your presence." She stepped to the side, one arm spread out in a clear invitation to come in. "If you would please step this way, I will direct you to him."

Neither of the brothers was too keen on entering Dominic's ship, but they had no choice if all of this was going to end and they were going to find the girls. So Vash stepped forward, followed by Knives, their guns hanging limp at their sides.

They stopped and waited for the woman to close the door behind them. She turned to look at them, that seemingly permanent grin on her face. Her eyes landed on their firearms and she clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "There's really no need for those, my dears. You're perfectly safe here."

Needless to say, both men ignored her. She shrugged. "If that is your wish." The senior citizen strolled past them, surprisingly spry for one so elderly looking.

The group had hardly taken more than a few steps when she halted in front of them and spun around.

"Oh, yes. How rude of me not to introduce myself." She hunched over in a sketch of a bow. "You can just call me Granny."

Knives didn't acknowledge her declaration, and even Vash only nodded, still perturbed by her appearance.

Unfazed by their lackluster responses she turned back around and continued leading them into the bowels of the ship. Her gate was amazingly spry for a human that looked to be in her late 60's and both men made sure to match their strides to hers.

The maze of hallways, which had so confused Meryl and Millie, did not similarly affect the twins. They had d both lived for the first year of their lives aboard a SEEDS vessel, and even now, more than one-hundred years later, could still confidently make their way around.

Armed with this information, both were surprised when, upon coming upon the corridor that led to the lower front of the ship, where cargo was stored, there stood before them a wall of rock and dirt.

They must have already reached the point where the canyon walls had completely obliterated a whole section of the interplanetary vessel, Knives thought to himself. Granny steered them away from the earthen surface and down another corridor.

The short haired blond examined with a critical eye the extent of damage that the crash had wrought on the ship. Here and there beams had been replaced, wiring hung loosely from where entire patches of the ceiling were missing, showing the innards; electrical, oxygen recycling tubes, everything was bare.

Whoever had attempted to repair the harm, Dominic he supposed, had done a half-hazard job; everything had been fixed just enough to keep the systems operating, though at the bare minimum.

The silent journey took the three people deep into the ship, near where the cryonically frozen humans were usually stored. They were passing through a hallway full of doors, all of which the twins knew led to labs.

Both saw that her steps were slowing as they approached one particular set of doors. Walking straight up to the silver portal, Granny stepped to the side and pressed the button, causing the metal to slide open.

The room inside was indeed a lab, filled with large consoles; notes were strewn on a few of the white tables that disappeared against the background of an equally white ceiling and walls.

Within the sterile world the room's lone occupant stood, his dark-blond hair cropped close, green eyes watching them in anticipation. He wore a white trenchcoat over a pair of black dress jeans and a clean, button-down white shirt. His skin was so pale that if it weren't for the pants and his hair he would have blended as well with the environment as the white tables around him.

The man wore a wide smile on his face as he stepped forward to greet them.

Both brothers instantly knew who was before them: Dominic. The resemblance between themselves and him was too great to overlook. But aside from that they could feel the power that resonated with their own, the energy that all plants possessed.

He stopped in front of them, his voice eager in its earnestness, "Welcome, brothers! Welcome to my humble abode! Please, consider it your home while here."

Neither of them made a move to return his welcome. Even Vash, with his typically open and friendly attitude, could find nothing kind to say back. This was the man, after all, who had taken the girls and used Gale as a pawn to lure them here.

Undaunted by the cold reception Dominic spoke to Granny in the same gay tone, "That will be all for now.

Her presence practically forgotten, the old woman did her imitation of a bow, flashed Knives and Vash a smile, and left though the way they'd come.

With her gone he took notice of the firearms hanging at their sides.

"Ah, yes, you're fabulous guns." He rubbed his chin as eyed them curiously. "I would surmise that if you could focus your energy into them that they would become formidable weapons. Correct?"

Perturbed at having his creations so easily dissected, Knives did no more than nod and tighten his grip.

For a moment Dominic's face and voice lost all signs of his previous warmth and became hard and cold. "I hope that you do not plan on using them on me, dear brothers. You wouldn't want your humans to end up paying the price for such a mistake."

When silence met his announcement, but no swift action, he smiled again, his features once more taking on a friendly outlook. "It would be a shame if we were to fight on our first meeting."

The switch between moods came so fast that both brothers were left in doubt as to his sanity.

The other plant moved back toward one of the tables upon which sat containers filled with a variety of liquids and machines, some of which even Knives didn't recognize. Idly Dominic reached out and grasped a jar filled with a green substance. He held it out for them to see. "Do you know what this is?" he asked excitedly.

Both brothers shook their heads mutely, wondering where this was going.

"It's the future!" The sandy-haired man raised the glass above his head, staring at it intently. "Inside this is the answer to a perfect world." He dropped his hand and stared at Knives. "It will be an Eden, just like you envisioned."

Knives sneered at him, figuring out what he was talking about. "I suppose that is the 'miracle' that is supposed to change normal humans into plants?"

Dominic was confused by his attitude. "But I thought that was what you've been striving for all of these years." He took a step forward eagerly. "I've been watching you, waiting for a time when I could come to you with my own plans to help you create a wonderful new world on this dry planet. Though I did nothing to interfere while you took your time trying to convince Vash," he indicated the other twin, "to join you."

The former destroyer of mankind frowned. He'd been watched? That didn't sit well with him, that this little twirp had been stalking his moves for years and he'd had no idea. How had that slipped by him?

Dominic interpreted Knives' look. "I used this ship's main computer to hook up to the satellites that orbit this planet, which the humans use for their radio transmissions."

Vash held up a hand then that stopped him from continuing to speak. "If it's true that you've been observing both of us for a long time, then how is it that you ended up here? Why are you like us?"

They were sensible questions which Knives had not thought to ask. His mind right now was stuck firmly in their present situation, not on what had happened to bring them to this point.

Dominic smiled. "Why, I was born like you two, from a plant that had too much stored energy and used it to form a completely new life form."

Both brothers were stunned, absorbing this new information. They'd never asked Rem for the details of their births, already disturbed enough to know that they weren't human. It was a shock to find out that they had come into being because of an excess of energy within a plant.

"And how do you know this?" Knives asked sharply, suspicious if Dominic was telling the truth or not.

The plant across from him frowned in confusion. "From talking to the plant angel who gave me life, of course. Didn't the two of you communicate with the angel who you were created from?"

So he didn't know everything about them, after all. And neither man felt the need to inform him of the circumstances of how the ships happened to land on this planet.

Vash answered for the two of them. "No, she perished in the Big Fall."

Dominic nodded his head understandingly. "I see. A shame, since most plants have no idea that they have the capability, and thus are unaware of how we came to exist."

Wanting nothing more than to change the subject, Knives growled, "But that doesn't matter now, does it? What does is what that substance is and how you plan to infect an entire _species_ with it."

Dominic gazed fondly at the vial. "This is a special liquid, created from the juice from within plant bulbs and my own DNA." He looked solemnly at Knives. "At one time I thought as you do: that to kill the entire human race was the answer, but that was before I began my studies into my own body. What I found was quite startling."

His eyes grew clouded, and the twins had the suspicion that he wasn't looking at them any longer, rather, that he was watching a memory. "Physicals, blood tests, scans; everything came back telling me the same thing."

Dominic paused, just long enough for Vash to prompt him. Knives wasn't so sure he wanted to find out. "What did they tell you?"

The brown-haired plant started, and looked around himself, as if just realizing where he was. He stared at Vash and Knives for a moment with no recognition in his eyes. Dominic blinked. "What?"

Knives scowled. "What did your research tell you?" he asked impatiently.

"Oh, yes," Dominic mumbled. "From the data the only conclusion was that the differences between us and humans are so tiny as to be minuscule. Body, mind, even our DNA is basically the same."

Millions Knives stiffened beside to his brother, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Vash was blinking rapidly, still digesting that comment.

Dominic interpreted their looks. "It's true. If you don't believe me, the data is right there." He pointed to a nearby computer terminal.

Like a puppet Knives walked over and turned on the monitor. The research was right there on the desktop, as if waiting for him. Which maybe it was with the way Dominic planned.

Vash waited calmly, watching his sibling as he bent over the terminal, quickly reading the information contained in the electronic files. Slim fingers flew over the keyboard for several minutes, his posture stiff.

It was only when the typing stopped that the outlaw knew that Knives had finished, though he did not leave his position.

Vash was hesitant to disturb his brother, but he had to know what he'd found. "Knives . . . ?"

When the older brother made no move to reply, Dominic spoke up, directing his words at Knives. "You see now that I spoke the truth. We aren't all that different from humans."

At those words Knives stood up straight, his eyes flashing hot and angry at Dominic. "This proves nothing! Your foolish idea of changing the entire human race into plants," he swiped his hand angrily through the air, "will change nothing. They will still murder, still hurt those they claim to love. They will still _act_ human."

Dominic smiled at him patronizingly. "You'll see. They will change. Once they realize they're no longer homo sapiens, but instead a higher being, they will come around." He became excited. "Then a new era will begin for us all! Imagine it, a world where people can live together peacefully!"

Vash, who'd been around humans for over the past one-hundred years, watched the exchange silently, taking in their words. Neither of the two before him had spent any great length of time living, existing around the very people they were discussing. To hear them speak of humans as this or that . . . well, quite frankly he was angry at them both.

"That's enough."

The outlaw's voice, so calm and stern, so unlike his normal happy-go-lucky tone caught their attention immediately, and they both stared at him with, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I've heard enough of this." He turned to Knives. "Humans are not all evil. They are merely . . . " he struggled for the right word, " . . . human. There is certainly a bad side to them, all of them, but that doesn't mean they don't have a right to live, simply because they aren't what you wish them to be."

Vash lips curved upward, remembering all the fun time he'd had with them, all the laughing and learning they'd done. "They have a lot of good, too. Which can pop up when you least expect it." A vision of Wolfwood's face ran through his mind.

At this point Dominic was nodding his head and smiling, while Knives scowled. Vash directed his next words at the darker haired plant. "But what right does that give us to change them? They might do horrible, terrible things to themselves and each other, but they can learn from those mistakes, and become stronger for it."

He heard Knives snort but ignored him, instead opting to stare down Dominic.

"Then you won't join me?" He asked them. "Either of you?"

Without a word the twins shook their heads no.

For their own reasons, they would not help him.

He shook his head sadly. "A pity. I'd hoped to convince you otherwise."

Dominic turned from them and sat himself in a nearby arm chair that faced the twins. The plant shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well. I suppose there's nothing to do but guarantee your cooperation by other means."

Knives sensed the moment he used his telepathic abilities. A ripple in the air around them gave away that he was communicating with another person aboard the ship.

When Knives made use his own powers to follow the signal Dominic held up a finger in warning. "I wouldn't, if I were you. Something bad could happen to those two nice young ladies if you were to act foolishly."

Vash looked between them, confused but knowing that something had happened between the two plants. Though the twins took the hint that any action on their part would be detrimental to the girl's health.

They opted to stand where they were, knowing that Dominic was sitting there patiently, waiting for something, but for what they had no idea.

Their answer came a few minutes later when a previously unnoticed door across from them opened, revealing two very familiar figures.

Completely oblivious of what was going on in a different part of the SEEDS ship, the two insurance ladies were taking yet another left turn. Millie and Meryl had been wandering around the incredibly huge ship since their escape what seemed like hours ago.

In a hushed voice, Meryl had communicated the little chat she'd had with Dominic to her partner, explaining his wild plan. The tall woman had been surprised that the mastermind behind all of this was a plant, like the twins, but she'd also been disappointed by his idea to change humanity. And coming from Millie, that was something indeed.

"People should be allowed to be themselves," she'd adamantly declared.

They darted down another hallway, making sure to check around corners before moving forward. The ladies were desperately searching for an exit, but so far they'd only succeeded in getting lost.

The two of them were walking down another corridor, which coincidentally looked exactly like all the rest, when they heard a voice speak.

"That's long enough off your leashes, ladies. Time to be useful to my master."

Both of them spun around, but while Millie had no idea who the tall man in front of them was Meryl had recognized his voice immediately. Tsume stood before them, his claws clicking together menacingly.

He smiled, showing a row of sharp teeth. "I wouldn't put up a fight if I were you." The man gave another added click of his blades to show that he meant business.

Knowing that they were completely unarmed, the girls had no choice but to follow him.

The frightening man led them through the ship to a part neither of them had been to before and soon entered a large room full of test tubes and large, foreign machines. But what really caught their attentions were the twins standing on the opposite side of the lab.

"Millie! Meryl!" Vash yelled. Beside him Knives was quiet and stone-faced, his displeasure with the situation obvious.

The spiky-haired twin made as to move toward them, but Tsume's sharp claws suddenly pointed at each of their necks stopped him cold.

Dominic chose that moment to speak up, "Now, now, dear brother. I'm afraid that now you must make a hard choice: either allow yourselves to be placed within cryonic chambers or watch them die."

As if to prove his point one of the sharp edges of Tsume's knives pressed a little closer to Meryl's throat, causing a tiny trickle of blood to flow.

"I didn't wish for it to come to this," Dominic told them, his eyes sad, "but you gave me no alternative." He pleaded with them when they made no move to answer. "I don't want you to do, but for the better of everyone my plan must go forward, with or without you."

Vash faced him squarely. "And what guarantee do we have that the girls will be safe?!"

Dominic smiled. "There's nothing to worry about. If you choose correctly then they will be given the same opportunity that my faithful followers have been given; to become plants themselves."

Meryl and Millie gaped at him, as well as Vash. Knives' face, if anything, became even harder to read.

Still, Meryl knew what was going through his mind, that he definitely _did not_ want the human race to become plants. She could understand it on one level, that such a transformation would not solve the true nature of people, it would only give them new powers like what had happened to Dominic's henchmen.

The young woman knew that Vash cared for them enough to allow them to live as plants rather than to die. From the look on his face, though, she could tell that the gunmen did not like the idea of them having to be forced to become plants, but he'd rather have them around than not. His outlook on life in general was proof of that.

She also realized that Vash trusted them enough to allow such a thing to happen to them. He had faith that they would not abuse any new powers they might acquire. That is, if they survived the procedure.

So the big question was whether Knives was willing to allow himself to be put in a cryonic chamber just so they could be turned into plants?

Their eyes met then, Meryl's and Knives', hers searching for answers. It was one of those moments that seemed outside of time, where everything appeared to freeze for one long instance. This was the time that you heard people talk about, but never really grasped until you'd been through it yourself.

Blue locked on violet and for a moment they connected on a completely different plane. Their consciousness' blurred and merged, becoming one in a burst of memories.

Meryl was not sure how, but she could feel him searching for the answer to that question as well. She could see he was remembering the bad times with humans, the times when he'd seen them at their worst. A picture of a bar filled with drunks and prostitutes floated by, followed by a large, angry man raising his fists, screaming "monster!".

But then there are also the good times, the days at the carnival, playing cards with Vash and Millie. Those memories were there, too.

Like a moving picture, they ran through his mind as she watched, an unwilling observer to her own fate. Then she realized that Knives recognized her presence in that otherworldly place. She could actually _feel_ that knowledge. But what surprised her most of all was his complete lack of caring. He was such a private person that Meryl felt . . . special, for lack of a better word, at being allowed to see these recollections.

She could sense him on the thin edge of indecision. One way lay hers and Millie's deaths, the other an outcome he hated beyond belief.

Then something caught his attention away from her eyes, abruptly breaking their strange link. She blinked and stared at him. He was still looking at her, mostly, but just a little to her side. But there was nothing there . . .

Meryl felt the familiar weight of her earrings, the earrings he'd given him herself all those days ago, what felt like another lifetime. They'd been a present from him to her, the first he'd given a human since long ago, before he'd made the ships fall, back when it had been his brother, him, and the crew.

Back then his actions had caused the deaths of countless millions, along with the only human he'd ever truly trusted: Rem. For a moment Rem's image superimposed itself on Meryl and it was like being transported to the past, where his actions had once caused the death of someone close, because he hadn't wanted the humans to spread across the universe.

It had been an accident, Rem's death, but now he had a clear choice: save Meryl and allow something he detested to happen yet again, or let her die. But now he was older, had seen more of the humans then he'd ever wanted or expected, thanks to the small, purple-haired woman in front of him.

And for the first time in a long while he felt the urge to protect a human, to make the other choice, rather than death, no matter the outcome.

Of course, Meryl didn't know any of this. Vash had already dropped his gun and holster and was waiting, watching Knives and wondering which path he would choose this time.

His eyes locked once more with the insurance lady's. He finally saw the same understanding and compassion he'd scorned in her race, that he'd completely ignored in favor of the horrid things people did to one another. In that moment he made his choice.

She knew he'd made his decision. The hardened glint in his eye and the subtle tightening of his jaw which she'd observed many times during their time together, appeared. This always proceeded when was about to do something.

For a moment she was afraid that he'd chosen her and Millie's deaths. He'd never tried to hide his hatred to humanity, of which she and her partner were a part. All the hateful words he'd said to her flashed through her mind, but so did the other times. She took a look at all the instances when he'd saved her, rather than letting her die. Sure, he'd probably made a promise with Vash or something to keep her out of harm, but there were the times he'd gone beyond his promise, like when he'd helped her recuperate after the attempted rape, even going so far as to take her to the local carnival.

So maybe she had to put a little faith with him now, when they were in the worst situation yet. Yes, she firmly decided. After all they'd been through together, all the adventures, now was the moment when she would trust him with something he'd already saved countless times and in more ways that one: her life. He would make the correct choice. She had to trust him to do this.

Meryl refocused again on the moment and stared at him, strong and unwaveringly, and he noticed. A small tilt of the lips was his answer to her direct gaze. Then his hand moved to his own holster and everyone in the room tensed but Meryl, who was still watching him with the same look of complete trust.

His hand gripped the black gun and lifted the weapon. The overhead lights reflected off the barrel. The man's fingers on the handle tightened for a moment, before relaxing. With casual ease he flung the weapon away from himself. It hit the tile floor with crack that was loud in the deafening silence of the room.

Beside him Vash let out the breath he'd been holding and even though the situation was still far from ideal, he gave a small smile. Maybe there was hope for his brother after all.

Immediately the girls were led out of the room. At the last moment, right before the doors slid shut, Meryl looked back over her shoulder at Knives' unwavering stare. He had something planned, this she knew. The man never acted without having some idea as to what he was going to do next. Meryl only hoped that whatever that plan was involved saving her and Millie from an uncertain end as plants.

Or worse.

Not that she disliked plants or anything, Vash (and maybe Knives) being cases in point, but that didn't mean she wanted to join them. She was quite content to be a human, thank-you-very-much.

From behind them Tsume gave both girls a push and when they turned around to look at him in confusion he motioned for the door behind him. Apparently they were to be taken for their 'change' immediately, without any preamble.

Without any thought both women looked over their shoulders as the clawed henchmen led them away. Vash and Knives stared at them both with unwavering gazes, their stances tense, a promise that they would see each other again in their eyes.

That was the last look the girls had of the twins before the doors closed behind them.


	21. Moments of Fear

A/N: Ummm....yeah. Can't really say anything this time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.

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**Chapter 21: Moments of Fear**

"A wise choice," Dominic told the two before him. Vash barely paid him any attention, his eyes glued to the door Meryl and Millie had left by. Knives, on the other hand, was staring steadily at him, his blue orbs full of ice-cold fire.

Under that penetrating stare the other plant inwardly shivered. No wonder he'd been so feared, with a stare like that which could freeze a person's blood.

"Now that it is settled, I'm afraid I must leave," he told the twins, turning and making his way toward another entrance at the back of the room. He easily wove between the tables piled high with test tubes and glass jars. "I have plans to fulfill, after all."

Before he arrived at the exit, the doors slid open. Granny stood in the doorway and the old woman gave the plant a deep bow.

The two held a brief, murmured conversation which neither brother could hear. With one last, triumphant wave and a smile Dominic exited and the doors closed behind him, leaving them with the old woman.

Vash suspiciously eyed the person in whose care they'd been left. As he'd noted before, she didn't look like much, but he had a deep-rooted feeling that much like the rest of Dominic's minions, Granny was more than what she seemed.

The old woman fearlessly walked up to the twins, bent, and picked up their treasured weapons. She straightened and smiled, the guns cradled in her wrinkled arms.

"Well, gentleman," she spoke, "if you'll please follow me?"

Granny turned and strode toward the same door Meryl and Millie had exited by. With a brief glance and nod at each other the brothers followed after the henchmen. She gave one quick look back to make sure they were following her and continued on, leading them out of the room and into the bowels of the ancient vessel.

Like the rest of the ship, the walls were made of shiny metal and brought back many memories for the twins, both good and bad. Neither chose to dwell on them too long, lest they lose track of the here and now.

Their journey was a silent and uneventful one until Vash noticed his brother glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. He flashed him a confused look and saw Knives roll his eyes. The short-haired plant subtly gestured to the old woman with a vague wave of his hand, keeping it with his stride to hide the motion. Vash, finally understanding that his brother had formed a plan of attack, nodded. It didn't take him more than a second to figure out that to use their telepathy was a bad idea. With plant DNA running through Granny's veins there was a chance that she could pick up on their conversation.

After making sure that they weren't being watched, the older plant laid out his idea, continually stopping whenever Granny tilted her head toward them, then starting again when he thought the coast was clear.

By the time they made it to their destination the two had a complete understanding of what they needed to do. The brothers knew the risk that Millie and Meryl would be put in danger, but to do nothing was not an option either. Dominic needed to be stopped or the world would be thrown into utter chaos.

Granny continued to lead the way, walking right up to a pair of doors that slid open, revealing a small room that was bare except for two human-sized capsules and a computer station beside them, lights blinking all over the control console.

The cryonic chambers were undoubtedly for them, set up by Dominic in case they chose not to join him. He'd thought of everything, Knives grudgingly allowed.

The group was halfway toward the two pods when Knives suddenly stopped walking, standing his ground. Beside him Vash did the same, looking sideways at his brother, waiting for his next move.

Granny took a few more steps until she too halted. Slowly she turned around to face them, that same cheery smile plastered on her face. "Is there a problem, gentlemen?"

Knives shifted his stance and folded his arms. "Your master's plan is the problem, old woman. We are simply here to make sure that he does not succeed."

Her false smile finally fell, and quickly. She was frowning now, almost a snarl. Her tiny body shook with anger and something changed in the air in the room. "That's no way to talk of my master," she spoke slowly through clenched teeth.

Without any warning one of the large, metallic tables in the room lifted off of the ground and hung in midair. Both Vash and Knives swivelled their heads back to the frail, old woman, astonished.

She was smiling sweetly at them again, still cradling their guns in her gnarled hands.

"I suppose I'll have to teach you young people some manners."

With that the floating piece of furniture took off flying straight toward them.

Taking advantage of their naturally quick reflexes, both plants jumped out of way, each sliding to a stop at opposite sides of the room. Neither dared to take their eyes off of the new threat.

Granny sighed warily and shook her head. "You boys. Can't you just take your punishment like good little children?" Her face contorted into a hideous mockery of her motherly attitude from earlier. "You're making this much harder than this needs to be!"

Knives dashed forward, attempting to get to her before she tried anything else. The old woman was too fast for him, however, and sent large bottles of glass hurdling toward the light blond twin. He dodged, but had to stop his offensive.

"It's no use!" she crowed at him, cackling wildly. "I won't let you get close enough to harm me!"

He smirked and stood to his full height. Across from him Vash watched, wondering what his brother had up his sleeve now.

"Who said we needed to get close to you?" Knives raised one hand, palm spread toward Granny, and for a moment the air was full of an electrical current that spread from the plant to the former human. With a gasp the black gun in her grasp jumped and seemed to throw itself across the room and into the hand of its owner.

She and Vash gaped together as he aimed the weapon straight at her. "Your turn, Vash," he spoke to his brother without taking his eyes off of the genetically engineered plant.

"But how did you do that?" he whined.

For a second Knives' posture faltered as he tried not to fall flat on his face in surprise. Completely ignoring the other person in the room, he turned to his brother, his face a mask of impatience.

"Don't you remember for whom I made these weapons, you fool? It's yours! Connect to it and it should obey you!"

Blinking back to the present, Granny took the opportunity to mentally fling several more bottles and a few more tables at the twins, hoping to catch them off guard.

But neither sibling were completely unprepared for her strike. Vash flung himself to the floor as several objects flew over his head and crashed into the wall behind him. Using his gun, Knives destroyed the tables and smashed the jars to bits.

He glared at his brother out of the corner of his eyes, who was picking himself off of the ground. "Stopping messing around, Vash, and get your gun!"

"It doesn't matter what you do now," Granny shrilly screamed, looking not at all happy with the way things were going. "By now Tsume knows of your betrayal. Those young ladies with him won't live long once they taste his claws."

From above a loud groaning sounded and pieces of the metallic ceiling tile suddenly came off and straight down on them. Before Granny could blink Knives had shot a round hole in the one coming for him, making the metal weak enough for him to easily punch out the middle and come out unscathed.

Taking advantage of quick reflexes gained from years of experience, Vash flung himself upward and out toward the edge of the tile, effortlessly gripping it and flinging himself on top of the structure so that when it landed with a loud crash he was on top of it, rather than below.

Desperate, Granny began to randomly throw and twirl items around the room in a twisted game of Russian roulette.

"Knives!" Vash yelled in a panic, "You need to leave! NOW! Go and take care of the girls!"

Knives protested while simultaneously dodging another attack of glass jars. "The humans are yours, brother! You should be the one to leave. They are not under my protection."

Vash stopped for a moment as items flew around him, a deep and serious expression on his face. Knives halted as well, wondering what had gotten into his crazy brother to do something so foolish as stand completely still in the middle of a battle ground.

"Is there no reason for you to care, Knives?"

The question, so abrupt, caught the short haired twin off guard. A reason to care? Why would Vash ask such a silly question? He didn't care about any human, let alone a munchkin and an amazon.

After all, humans were all the same; greedy, unjustly arrogant and self-centered.

'_But not those two.'_ The thought came from somewhere in the far reaches of his mind, an echo of words that struck a cord within him. His ideas of what humans were, of the typical person didn't fit so nicely on top of Millie and Meryl.

Meryl...the short woman with a big temper. Annoying and bossy, she'd bugged him to no end. But...the woman had also taken him in to her home and her life with nary a complaint. Sure, she'd told him what an ingrate he was, but that had only been out of anger and frustration.

Knives gritted his teeth, annoyed where his thoughts were headed. He looked to Vash who was still standing, waiting for a response.

He growled. "Fine."

Turning, Knives departed from the battlefield as Vash distracted Granny by dashing straight for her. He made his way out the door and took off at a sprint toward the part of the ship where he could sense the women were.

The plant ran swiftly down the corridor, heading directly for the area of the ship where he could sense Meryl and the other female had been taken. He delved enough to pinpoint where in the ship they were, but not enough to discern emotions or thoughts. That process would take longer. Undoubtedly, though, they were being taken to another cryonic chamber, where Meryl and Millie would be morphed into angels.

--------

Left with his opponent, Vash sized up the situation. He was alone, facing up against a manipulator of objects with only a gun. From what Granny had displayed so far, manipulating any object in the room was a piece of cake to her. But right now he needed to find out exactly how far her powers extended.

Taking the time to dodge an assortment of flying glass, which she had picked up and started throwing at him, he took quick aim and fired at a non-lethal spot of her body. Glass embedded itself in his flesh as he forwent dodging in exchange for the shot.

Just as he suspected, before the bullet even made it within a yard of her the old woman stopped it cold in midair, a frightening smile on her face.

"Now, now," she taunted, raising one finger disapprovingly, "that is no way to treat the elderly."

With a narrowing of her eyes the small weapon sped backwards at Vash, grazing his tall hair as he dashed out of harm's way.

Her powers seemed practically limitless, he thought to himself, but something seemed...off. As he watched her cackle and telekinetically pick up a few more weapons, he figure out her weak spot, an item she didn't have any control over.

Slamming his gun into the holster attached to his thigh, Vash determinately sprung his plan into action. On the counter nearby, which had been almost completely emptied by Granny, stood a tall, green plant. Using moves perfected over the last century, he goofily made his way through the mass of flying objects and straight to the bush.

Seizing it by the stock, he plucked the plant, roots and all, and with one great heave-ho threw it as hard and fast as he could toward the old lady. She had already dispatched most of her objects at her target, thus she was not prepare for a face full of plant and dirt.

Cough and wiping her face, her concentration broke for a moment and Vash took his chance. He was across the room and in front of Granny with his gun raised in less time than it took her to breathe.

She stared down the barrel or his large, silver gun, a hint of fear creeping in her eyes. Vash was much too close for her to try anything without him making a move first. "You can't control anything living," he pointed out to her.

Her face broke out into a wide smile. "Yes, that is true. But knowing that isn't going to help you. You see, I know you won't shoot me, sir. Your particular brand of philosophy won't allow that."

The tall plant's serious face didn't waiver, though Granny knew that she had hit the nail on the head.

Quietly, and without looking toward the object, a large piece of machinery, as tall as a normal human and twice as wide, slowly floated above the ground, inching it's way toward them.

She grinned disarmingly at the young plant. "There's really no need for violence, is there? I'm sure we could settle this peacefully." Only a few more feet and there would be no way for the outlaw to dodge out of the way. "After all, we are very much alike." There!

But rather than squashing Vash flat, he unexpectedly threw himself to the floor, tight enough that the large object flew over him, missing his body by mere centimeters.

Granny now found herself with the enormous machine hurdling toward her at an alarming rate and with little hope of her stopping because of it's sheer size. It had taken a great deal of her energy simply to move it as far as she had.

In a poor imitation of the twin, she too hit the floor, though the object gave a glancing blow to her back as it sailed overhead.

The entire room shook with the force as the door through which Dominic had gone through was slammed and torn open by the impact. The sound of metal grinding metal was loud and echoing throughout the metal halls.

Slowly and warily Vash rose to his feet, keeping an eye on his surroundings in case Granny tried it again. The old woman was slower and noticeably limped as she struggled to stand.

Much like her predecessor, Gale, the human-turned-plant had no real grasp of her own powers, the major flaw Dominic had not bothered to fine tune, so engrossed was he in his master plan.

Around the room, items large and small rose from the ground and tables, even the very walls around them shook with the energy Granny was putting off.

She stood there, one hand on her injured back, and stared wildly around herself, completely incapable of stopping her own power. Vash knew what was coming, and he quickly made a dash toward her, dodging all sorts of objects as they began to swarm around the room.

Pieces of broken glass flew about, cutting at his exposed skin. He was almost to her shaking form when a large sheet of metal from the walls flew in front of him, blocking his rescue. It was a moment later that he heard a scream and then she too was flying by, a metal pipe having thrust itself through her abdomen.

She too floated amongst the chaos that surrounded him, pulling feebly at the object in her flesh. Blood wept freely from the wound and Vash had not a chance to get to her when a beaker slammed itself into her face, and she slumped forward, devoid of life.

As if a switch had been pulled, everything fell about him and on him as the source was immediately cut off. In a desperate effort, he managed to make it to her right after she too, dropped, deftly springing amongst the rubble.

As he had feared, the former human was gone, destroyed by her own newfound abilities, and by the person who had changed her for his own selfish reasons.

He gently set her down, silently promising to come back and give her a proper burial. At the moment more urgent matters called, and he could yet change the future of those he loved.

This was no time for berating himself with "what if's" and without a glance back he again climbed over the rubble and followed after his brother.

--------

Knives ran swiftly down the corridors of the large spaceship, taking no time to memorize the path he was moving on. He focused on the mind of the tiny woman, following the signature like a path in the sand. The plant knew he was getting closer the father he went, for he could feel her presence becoming ever stronger.

Just as he was almost to her the short-haired plant suddenly lost contact with Meryl's mind, strong enough that it felt as if a pair of invisible scissors had cut the cord linking them. For that to have occurred something terrible had to have happened to the small woman...

He put on more speed as he switched to Millie's mental signature. Soon he was within sight of a set of doors that he knew they were on the other side of. The entrance slid open as he approached at a speed no human could hope to match. As Knives entered the room, Tsume turned to face him.

The scene revealed behind the henchmen stopped Knives cold. The large girl was on the ground, holding close the body of her friend with a scratch on her arm that had torn her shirt. The wound bled profusely. Red had blossomed from a deep wound in Meryl's chest, coating her white outfit in the same color. Her face was deathly pale, eyes closed.

Dominic had indeed kept his promise that the girls would be harmed if Vash and he had tried anything.

The color that so decorated her seemed to burn into the backs of his eyes until that was all Knives saw. Angry beyond anything he could remember, Knives set his sights on his enemy.

The henchmen drew himself up to his full height, his unwavering gaze measuring Knives up. His claws were stained and dripping with the two lady's blood.

Tsume flashed his teeth in a horrible, maniacal grin. "You're already too late," he spoke, shifting his stance in preparation of a fight.

Knives barely heard anything above the roaring in his ears. Not only was there the color of blood sporting the girls' clothes, but a thick film washed over his eyes. As if this pathetic fool could best him in anything, let alone cunning. The genetically engineered plant would pay dearly for this discretion.

No one messed with his plans, no matter if it involved humans or not.

But he waited just inside the doorway, quietly watching the maniac. He let nothing of his anger show, to do so would be a weakness. So for a few slow moments each stared the other down, waiting for the other to make a move.

Knives knew that he did not have an infinite amount of time to save the humans and chase after Dominic, but battles quickly rushed were quickly lost.

Tsume, apparently, did not feel the same way. With a quick start, he lunged at Knives, nearly slicing open his chest had it not been for his quick movement. He dodged to the right as the henchman extended his deadly claws. The twin didn't dare take the time to raise his gun, as the other was moving so quickly that to do so would have meant losing his hand.

He knew that he needed a way to distract him, if even for a second, to get a clean shot. They quickly found a rhythm of lunge and duck, parry and dodge. But the clock was ticking and he had had enough of this game.

Spotting his chance as Tsume made a wide and unbalanced strike, Knives ducked and roll away from him, his back once more to the doorway. With taking little time, he raised his gun and fired off a round, clipping Tsume in a few places on his body.

What he didn't expect was for his bullets to bounce off of his hard claws, ricocheting off and heading straight for the area to their side.

There were two open capsules on one side of the room, with large tanks of liquid sitting beside those. He recognized the fluid as the "miracle" Dominic had shown Vash and him earlier. Hoses connected from the tanks to the capsules. His wayward bullet found its mark in one of those two containers.

Glass flew out, followed closely by a spray of Dominic's "vaccine".

The girls and Tsume had no chance to move out of the way. Within seconds they were covered in the tidal wave as the tank was subsequently refilled by a back-up pump.

Acting quickly as the liquid came up to his shins, Knives located the valve and pulled the handle down, stopping the flow.

A terrifying scream from behind him had the plant twisting around, only to feel bile well up in his throat at the scene before him.

Tsume was leaning against the far wall, a multitude of fleshy appendages emanating from his body to surround him. Misshapen wings and feathers sprouted even as Knives watched. The henchmen shrieked in pain and fear as the process multiplied in seconds until his body was completely obscured and just as suddenly, one last, gargled cry came and then all was silent.

Knives had seen and done many gruesome things in his lifetime, but the picture of Tsume being swallowed by mutated flesh, his death screams echoing throughout the room, was one that wouldn't soon fade from his long memory.

Shaking himself out of his morbid thoughts he searched the room with frantic eyes until his gaze landed on the two girls. Both of them were laying face-down in the juice that still liberally covered the floor.

Sloshing through the disgusting stuff, he first came to Millie, whom he turned over and checked for life. Her breathing was labored, but she was alive.

He wasn't so sure the same would be for Meryl.

The tiny woman was completely motionless as he stepped up to her and grasped her small body, moving her until she lay on her back, his arm supporting her. Her white uniform was see-through except where it had been stained red from her blood.

His fingers shook as he checked for a pulse on her neck. When he couldn't even detect a flutter he pressed harder, his features tightening as he still could find no sign of life.

Knives' long fingers swiftly gripped her small wrist as he checked again for her pulse. When there was nothing again he let go, watching as her arm fell limply to her side.

He shook his head as his lips whispered a single word, "No..."

Uncaring for her modesty he tore apart her shirt, exposing the horrendous wound that was located right below her heart, directly over one of her lungs.

She'd lost so much blood. Around them the liquid was stained with it, but the wound was still steadily seeping. The "cure" had also gotten into the injury, mixing with her life's fluid.

As he stared at her motionless face a malevolent voice in the back of his mind spoke.

"_She's just a human,"_ it whispered.

He recognized his own words coming back to haunt him.

"_She's worthless. Less than a bug."_

But she wasn't. She wasn't like the rest of them...

"_They're all the same. They destroy everything so they can survive. Like animals."_

Not Meryl...

"_You shouldn't care."_

No, he shouldn't. But he did. He closed his eyes as an unfamiliar moisture stung at them.

The human race was still ignorant and base. Knives didn't deny that he wouldn't mind them being destroyed. But not Meryl...

Somewhere, somehow, along the way, amongst their adventures together he'd come to...care.

The realization almost had him dropping her body. He strengthened his grip, bringing her closer to himself.

He opened his eyes and stared at her familiar face. He _knew_ her. So well. She didn't deserve to die like this, stabbed to death by a maniac because she'd cared about him and his brother. She'd _cared_. About him.

One tear fell, followed by more as he held her limp self. She couldn't leave! Not now! Not when he was just beginning to get used to her presence.

Like the child he still was inside, Knives railed against the unfairness of the situation. Like Rem and Vash so long ago, she was leaving him alone. And he didn't want to be alone, not again. For years upon years he'd walked a lonely path with nobody to talk to. Looking back it'd been like moving through a black void where none existed but himself.

And the prospect of returning to that emptiness shook him to his core.

That was how Vash found him as he staggered in, scratched and bloodied but alive.

He took in the scene before him. Millie lay on the floor, her chest slowly rising and falling signaling that she was alive, though injured as indicated by her red arm. All he could see of Knives was his wide back. His head was bowed over what he held in his arms, shoulders quaking slightly. Vash saw a tuft of black hair sticking draped over one of his arms and his eyes widened.

He took a step forward. "Knives...?"

When there was no forthcoming answer, he took the initiative and moved further into the room. He knelt beside Millie. The big girl was unconscious, a large bump on her head meaning she'd been knocked out cold. Even as he lifted her in his arms and rose to his feet she didn't so much as mumble. The lack of response worried him, but not so much as his brother's behavior and the ominous bundle he held.

Vash came to stand behind his twin. The entire time he'd watched Knives, wondering if the other plant even knew if he was there or not. A single indication that he had was when his shoulders stopped moving, but he never turned around.

He quietly called his name again.

Knives didn't even twitch, and Vash felt a niggling of panic begin to build. Gently he set down Millie, making sure that she wouldn't inhale any of the liquid which covered the floor.

Slowly he rose and walked around his brother until he stood in front of him, staring down at the two forms. Just as he'd feared, it was Meryl who Knives held in such a tight embrace.

With the experience of one who'd been around humans for over a century, he knew that the wound she had was...fatal. His brother and the floor around them were stained with her blood and her breathing was raspy and uneven, meaning something horrible had happened to the lung beneath the puncture.

Even with the advanced technology that might be on this ship, that is if Dominic had even kept it from falling into disuse or if it hadn't been destroyed in the Great Fall, there was no hope. He was also positive that Meryl would never survive long enough for her to receive that aid.

He was equally as sure that Knives was aware of that.

Cautiously he sank to his knees beside his quiet sibling as tears began to form in his eyes. His best friend, one of the best people he'd ever met, who had helped him through the worst times in his life, was dying right in front of him. He felt utterly helpless, but he knew that it was nothing compared to how Knives was feeling, if the emotional waves flowing off of him were any indication.

His brother was hurting, deeply. Vash only hoped that he would weather this storm, and not sink into a bottomless pit of despair, or worse, once again become the monster he'd been.

He slowly reached out an arm toward Meryl's broken form.

"Don't touch her," Knives growled. His head lifted slowly, eyes blazing a bright blue as his power swirled behind them. The plant's face was twisted with pain and tracks of tears ran down the smooth plains of his face. He gritted his jaw against a sob. "Just leave us alone."

Vash's face was a mirror of agony and sadness. But while his was one born of witnessing the deaths of countless people, all of whom he'd mourned in his own way, Knives' was as fresh as the first flower of spring.

The outlaw's heart went out to him, and he wished that there was something, anything he could say, do, that would help to relieve some of his brother's suffering. Years of experience and knowledge of his brother's nature, told him that this time he should, and would, honor his wishes.

Should haves and what if's crowded his mind as one hand gently reached out and smoothed a lock of hair off of Meryl's forehead. This Knives allowed Vash to do, as a final farewell to a woman who had been the outlaw's savior.

Stiffly, feeling as if the weight of the world lay upon his shoulders, Vash stood and with one tear-filled glance retrieved Millie and left the room.

The faint lapping of liquid against the walls was the only sound beside the tiny woman's labored breathing. With every raspy breath the wound poured more of her life's fluid out of her body and onto the floor around them. Vainly, not even sure why he was bothering, Knives tore a strip of his sleeve off and tried to staunch the gaping hole.

It was the size of one of Tsume's bladed fingers, damning him as the guilty party, though the plant knew that Dominic had been the one to give the order.

The cloth quickly pinked and her life drained away with every beat of her heart while Knives quietly held her. Not since he was a child had he ever felt this powerless, this incapable of action. But rather than enraging him as it would usually have, he felt only a great, gaping emptiness, a hole of despair that seemed to eat away at his very soul.

Meryl gave a great cough as a spasm of pain wracked her small frame. Knives held her closer to keep her still as his gut clenched and his breathing stopped. From his vast medical knowledge, he knew that the tiny woman was experiencing her death throes, the movements of a body's last struggle for life.

Another jerk of her body and Meryl's eyes flew open, their violet depths unseeing, blinded to everything but the pain. He expected the end to come, for her eyes to become glassy and hollow, like so many other humans' that he'd seen in his life time.

But rather than giving one last breath and going completely silent, she fell back into his arms, limp, but alive. A feeble hope blossomed in his chest and he carefully pulled the cloth away from her wound, hardly daring to believe that he was right.

As the last of the cloth was pulled away the sight that he beheld took his breath away. Instead of a gaping hole where she had been stabbed, there was new, pink-colored flesh, smooth to the touch. The regeneration process was under full sway and not even such a massive wound was winning against it.

He ran a finger over the new skin, and stared amazed at the being before him who was no longer human, but like he and his twin. Dominic had indeed gotten his wish.

Meryl was now a plant.


End file.
